More Drugs, Less Crime
Tennesseans use more prescription drugs than any other state — an average of 17.3 prescriptions per person in 2005 according to BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. Yet the state of Tennessee ranks 47th when examining the health of its citizens!
Consequences of improper drug use in Tennessee include an annual $761 million cost for adverse drug events, and $593 million for accidental poisonings in 2003.
Tennessee ranks second in drug spending, at $1,192. That’s what happens when crackheads call ambulances when they need a fix and we give them methadone instead of sending them to jail.
