Tennessee Department of Health - Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services

Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services TDMHDD Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse Final Report Meth Free Tennessee Tennessee Meth Watch Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Regulations, Remediation, Quarantine registry Meth Basics Effects of Meth History of Meth Meth Lab Information Treatment Information Meth Information and Resources Children, Courts and More Concerned Organizations Meth Users' Stories

Welcome to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services' methamphetamine web site. This information is provided to educate and inform citizens of the dangers of methamphetamine, and is designed as a springboard to a wealth of information. We hope you will explore all the links provided, that you will find it helpful and informative, and will come back often to check for new information.

Originally concentrated in far western states, meth moved east during the last several years, causing chaos in states unfamiliar with the problem, and rapidly developed into a social problem of crisis proportion in Tennessee. As reported by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in calendar year 2004, 75% of clandestine methamphetamine laboratory seizures in the southeast took place in Tennessee (see Tennessee Meth History). This was the third-highest number of lab seizures in the nation, following Missouri and Iowa.

LAB SEIZURES - GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION, 2004

Ground zero of the methamphetamine epidemic is the Sequatchie Valley and Upper Cumberland, but virtually every community in Tennessee is being affected by clandestine labs.

Source U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

On April 7, 2004, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen named 20 citizens from across the state to serve on the Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse. The Task Force delivered its final report on September 2, 2004, and a series of swift and effective measures were implemented.
Tennessee passed legislation to restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine, meth's key precursor, in 2005, which caused an immediate and major reduction in the number of clandestine meth labs. Other states have also passed laws to restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine, and the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, which is similar to Tennessee's precursor law, was signed into law by President Bush on March 9, 2006 as part of the USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act.
Tennessee and Federal law enforcement agencies have worked constantly and effectively to reduce the number of toxic meth labs operating in Tennessee communities.
In the fall of 2005, the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference spearheaded a new public awareness campaign, which can be accessed at the Meth Free Tennessee Web site. Additional information is available at the Tennessee Meth Watch Web site.
Major efforts have been undertaken to help persons who are addicted to meth.

New, specialized drug courts are making inroads by offering effective rehabilitation rather than incarceration. One example is the drug court located in Nashville.
The Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services received a three-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a federal agency, to implement Access to Recovery to make more meth treatment and recovery available in Tennessee.

DISCLAIMER

The user, by use of this Web site and the links contained herein, acknowledges and agrees that neither the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services ("the Division "), the Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities nor the State of Tennessee is responsible for the contents of off-site links. The user specifically acknowledges that links are provided as an information service only, and do not constitute an endorsement from the Division, the Department of Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities or the State of Tennessee. It is the responsibility of the user to evaluate the content and usefulness of information obtained from other web sites.