Phil Bredesen on Drugs Democratic TN Governor

Let states decide on marijuana legalization

Marsha Blackburn (R): No. Has voted against loosening federal regulations.

Phil Bredesen (D): Unclear on legalization but "federal government should give states the rights to make those decisions."

Get tough on opioid prescriptions from pain clinics

A: Obviously, it's a terrible problem. When I was governor there was a methamphetamine problem, and I think just like then, there is no one single solution to it. I think going after some of the manufacturers, and the way they are marketing and promoting these drugs, is a part of the question. There certainly are clinics around that exist for the purpose of making these prescriptions, these pain clinics and so on. I think we should be very tough on them, and frankly, I'd also like to see physicians themselves take a little more responsibility. I think it's just too easy to write a prescription for 30 or 60 days when someone might only need five of them. Unlike some of the other kinds of drug epidemics we've had, so much of this starts with perfectly legal prescriptions that are given unsuspecting people, people who never thought they would become hooked. That leads to some of these other abuses.

Proliferation of meth is one of the most serious threats