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The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
Under new state law, investigations of mass shootings in Tennessee now include testing for psychotropic drugs, including hormonal medications used to alter physical and sexual characteristics.
HB1349/SB1146, sponsored by Representative Mary Littleton (R-Dickson-District 78) and Senator Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City-District 3), was passed by the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this year.
As amended, the bill text dictates that county medical examiners must test for and obtain information concerning the presence of any drugs in a deceased person who is suspected to have committed a mass shooting resulting in the deaths of four or more individuals.
The medical examiner or regional forensic center is required to consult with the individual’s treating mental health professional or primary physician regarding any psychotropic drug use.
They are also required to test the deceased suspect for both the presence of any drugs and the therapeutic levels of psychotropic drugs.
Mass shooter drug use must then be disclosed to the Department of Health and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
The new law additionally tasks UT’s Health Science Center with testing a blood sample of the deceased individual and studying “the drug interactions between the psychotropic drugs and any other drugs that were present in the decedent’s system as provided by the county medical examiner.”
Quarterly reports of all data obtained by the science center are to be submitted to the General Assembly.
For the purposes of this legislation, psychotropic drugs are defined as medications prescribed “for the treatment of mental or behavioral health conditions or a drug prescribed for any condition that exercises a direct effect upon the central nervous system and that is capable of influencing and modifying mood, perceptions, and behavior.”
This includes:
- Agents for control of mania and depression
- Antidepressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- Antipsychotics
- Anxiolytics
- Hypnotics
- Mood stabilizers
- Hormonal medication with the primary goal of altering a person’s physical appearance and sexual characteristics existing at the person’s birth
- Psychomotor stimulants
- Stimulants
- Benzodiazepines.
“I think to study what is in the brain and body, the drugs, will give us a good start of what’s going on,” Rep. Littleton said regarding the bill’s intent.
“It’s a piece to the puzzle to try to figure out what’s going on with these people,” Sen. Crowe added.
During legislative debate, many Tennessee Democrats argued the issue was about guns, not drugs.
While final floor votes reflected this party divide, there were a couple deviations.
Democrat Senator London Lamar (Memphis-District 33) and Democrat Representative Joe Towns, Jr. (Memphis-District 84) voted in favor of the legislation.
Democrat Representative Ronnie Glynn (Clarksville-District 67) marked himself as “present and not voting.”
HB1349/SB1146 passed in the Senate on April 7th by a 27-5 vote and in the House on April 10th by a 76-20 vote.
Governor Bill Lee (R-TN) signed the bill into law on April 24th.
The legislation officially went into effect on July 1st of this year.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Good! Lucifer’s pharma wont be happy.