Tennessee lawmaker proposes bill to possibly reduce the opioid epidemic in Tennessee

JACKSON, Tenn.–“Your better off, getting on birth control and not worrying about it,” said a local mother, Sally Rimmer.

Tennessee lawmakers are taking different angles in order to decrease the opioid epidemic across Tennessee.

State Senator Ed Jackson of Jackson said he is proposing a bill to decrease the number of babies being born addicted to drugs, better know as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.

“These babies are struggling greatly to get off drugs, they are having withdrawals if they don’t get the same drugs that the mother was giving herself,” said Republican Senator Ed Jackson, representing District 27.

“According to the Tennessee Department of Health over 1,000 cases of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in babies were reported in 2017,” said Jackson.

One local mother of 3 says this bill could help the babies.

“I think there’s too many babies born that way, that’s a terrible thing for children to be born like that,” said Rimmer.

“This is a huge great concern, I’m trying to propose that, to help maybe the mothers, (who) need a longer stay at the hospital, til some of them find out that the baby is a N.A.S baby,” said Jackson.

Jackson said if this bill becomes law, it could put a stop to the long lasting affects of N.A.S. babies.

“Were trying to stop that cycle because what’s happened already, a lot of these children have gotten to be older children and even young adults and adults and now some of them are committing crime,” said Jackson.

“I’m trying to propose that, to help maybe the mothers need a longer stay at the hospital till some of them find out that the baby is a N.A.S baby,” said Jackson.

Jackson said if this bill becomes law, it could put a stop to the long lasting effects of N.A.S. babies.

“Were trying to stop that cycle because what’s happened already, a lot of these children have gotten to be older children and even young adults and adults and now some of them are committing crime,” said Jackson.