In May 2018, it was reported that fentanyl overtook heroin as the deadliest drug in Nashville, Tennessee. Fentanyl, a man-made opiate, is extremely powerful and has the potential to cause overdoses very easily.
Despite the rise of use of fentanyl, people do still use heroin, and that’s not something that can be overlooked. In fact, middle Tennessee is seeing heroin overdoses increasing. In Lebanon, for example, the police have reported seeing more overdoses than usual in the area. What’s particularly scary is that a number of these overdoses were a result of mixtures including heroin and fentanyl.
This is perhaps unsurprising considering the addictive nature of these drugs. Additionally, one nonprofit organization that works with transitional housing for recovering addicts believes that there needs to be more stable homes and structured programs for people coming out of drug treatment programs in Tennessee. The executive director of The Hope Society stated that not making changes in how the state approaches the drug epidemic is why everything is going full circle in a cycle of addiction, overdose, recovery and addiction again.
Police in middle Tennessee state that they are there to help and want to eradicate the problem in their community through outreach and support. If you or someone you know is struggling with drug addiction, it’s better to reach out to get help than to wait to be arrested. With the right help, you can fight drug charges if they occur, but if you seek addiction therapy and counseling, it’s possible to break out of the cycle of addiction without a criminal record.