Sen. Crowe wins prestigious ‘Voice of Recovery’ award
Published 10:40 am Friday, September 9, 2022
- File Photo State Senator Rusty Crowe.
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State Senator Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City), chair of the Tennessee Senate Health and Welfare Committee, received the “Voice of Recovery” award for his sponsorship of Senate Bill 2572, which has become Chapter 749 of the Public Acts of 2022. The statute has expanded access to naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.
Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, reverses and blocks the effects of opioids such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and even heroin and fentanyl. While not a treatment for opioid disorder, naloxone saves lives, and a life saved can be treated. Naloxone can be administered by injection or nasal spray and is not subject to abuse.
Nathan Ridley, legislative counsel for the Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug and Other Addiction Services (TAADAS), said: “We are so grateful for Senator Crowe’s help in passing this very important legislation. This legislation saves countless lives. Thank you for partnering with us in sponsoring this legislation.”
Crowe said: “I was proud to have played a part in passing this important piece of legislation, especially after learning that over 40 states already have similar laws in place. This law allows for a broader distribution to the treatment addiction community where the opioid antagonist will be more widely available.”
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, approximately 70,000 Tennesseans are addicted to opioids. In 2020, the Tennessee Department of Health recorded over 18,000 non-fatal overdose outpatient visits; over 7,000 non-fatal overdose inpatient visits; and 3,032 all drug overdose deaths.
TAADAS is a statewide association of alcohol and drug abuse treatment, prevention, and recovery service professionals, and others who are interested in addiction issues. TAADAS keeps alcoholism, drug abuse, and other addiction issues in the forefront when public policy decisions are made and through the collective voice of its members.
