2015 Drug Trends in Tennessee

When you think of Tennessee, what do you think of? Most people’s minds immediately go to the great history of music that the state is known for. Unfortunately, with so much fame and so much good music comes a lot of substance abuse as well. The two biggest issues that are found throughout the state of Tennessee are club drugs and marijuana, and the state is doing everything possible to make it so that these issues don’t continue to spread.

Club Drugs

This may come as no surprise to you, but clubs are a big thing throughout Tennessee. The music is loud, the lights are crazy, and people really enjoy the camaraderie and such that they get in these places. If there’s a genre of music that has a presence in Tennessee (and most of them do), then there’s probably a club that you can go to. Even though many clubs out there are just there for people to have a good time, many people will try to enhance that with the use of club drugs.

There are a number of drugs that fall into the category of club drugs. The ones that are most often used throughout Tennessee include ecstasy (which is also referred to as MDMA), GHB, and LSD. These drugs are easily produced and they also are easy to get, especially when you get closer to cities like Knoxville and Nashville.

Club drugs are incredibly dangerous. Not only are they synthetic, which makes it more likely for you to get a “bad batch” that you could overdose on, but they also alter reality a lot more than some other drugs that you may encounter. Mix that in with the fact that there are also a lot of date rape drugs that are used at these clubs, and you’ve got the potential for a lot of future issues related to going to the club.

EMT’s and other first responders are being given a variety of drugs that they can use in case someone overdoses on one of these club drugs. This can help to prevent death, and it can ensure that the person using the drug(s) will be able to move forward and get rehab and whatever else that they may need to deal with their addiction. All in all, club drugs are a huge problem that need to be dealt with, and the state is working to make sure that sanctions and laws related to them are tighter than ever.

Marijuana

The other drug that causes a lot of issues in Tennessee is marijuana. It’s the perfect growing environment, especially in the rural areas of the state. According to studies, Tennessee is one of the biggest suppliers of marijuana to the entire country, both in terms of recreational use and medical use. Because a lot of people have tried to help the growers and suppliers so that they don’t get caught, it has been especially difficult for Tennessee law enforcement agencies to be able to prosecute and catch them. There have been traces of marijuana from other places as well, including from Mexico, but the majority of the issue lies with domestic production.

Even though Tennessee is a huge distributor, that doesn’t mean that they don’t also deal with issues related to using. This is partially due to the club drug scene, which we talked about above, but it is also due to the fact that it seems to be the drug of choice for many who live in the rural areas of the state. DUI’s related to marijuana are common, and, on top of that, it’s easy for people to hide whatever they may be doing wrong. Sadly, marijuana use in teenagers is also increasing throughout the state, and a number of legislators have been working to try and prevent that issue from becoming worse in the future.

Tennessee is a unique state that is located in the middle of the Appalachian Mountain range. It’s rural location, along with the amazing music scene, makes it difficult to avoid many of the same drug problems that end up happening throughout the entire country. Even though strides have been made to try and make things a little bit better than they had been in the past, there is still a lot of progress that needs to be done, especially in the areas of the seizure of the drugs that are being produced and distributed throughout the entire state. Prosecution is also another issue at hand, as is accessibility to rehab services.