Laws and Policies

This chart outlines the new guidelines and checkpoints put in place for before a patient is put on a chronic regimen of opioids.

Why are prescription limits one solution to the opioid crisis?  This guide answers common questions.

This list of FAQs covers prescription limits, the use of ICD-10 Code and exemptions, and other common questions about the TN Together prescribing limits.

Guidelines produced by a committee of professionals led by TDMHSAS and the Tennessee Department of Health on prescribing buprenorphine in non-residential settings.

A guide from the Tennessee Department of Health on clinical practice guidelines for outpatient management of chronic pain.

Information from the Tennessee Department of Health on the lifesaving medicine Naloxone, also known as Narcan™, an opioid antagonist that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.

Public Chapter 1039 focuses on prevention and treatment. This legislation limits the duration and dosage of opioid prescriptions for new patients, with reasonable exceptions for major surgical procedures and exemptions that include cancer and hospice treatment, sickle cell disease as well as treatment in certain licensed facilities. With initial opioid prescriptions limited to a 3-day supply, Tennessee will have one of the most strict and aggressive opioid policies in the nation.  These provisions were made permanent by Public Chapter 188 of 2023.

Public Chapter 1040 addresses the law enforcement. This legislation creates incentives for offenders to complete intensive substance use treatment programs while incarcerated and updating the schedule of controlled substances to better track, monitor and penalize the use and unlawful distribution of opioids. Notably, it adds synthetic versions of the drug fentanyl, linked to an alarming number of overdose deaths, to the controlled substance schedules.

Public Chapter 188 of 2023 removed the expiration date of PC 1039 (linked above) and made other relevant changes to Title 63.

This report was prepared for the 112th Tennessee General Assembly to provide an update on the TN Together legislation and the state’s response to the opioid crisis.