As deaths from drug overdose continue to rise, many state governments are turning to regulation as an answer close at hand. But recent experience in Tennessee demonstrates regulations may not be the magic bandage some think.

Last year, Governor Bill Haslam (R) of Tennessee introduced regulations on opium-based painkillers. Despite such efforts, deaths from opioid overdose have continued to rise. And, according to The Tennessean, they have now reached an all-time high.

According to Reason, “the Tennessee Department of Health shows 1,304 opioid-related overdose deaths in the state for 2018, a 42-death increase over 2017.” They also point out that in some years, Tennessee had more prescriptions written than people living in the state.

What sparked this? The Tennessean offers some answers:

“Experts say the persistent rise in deaths statewide signals a continued shift of the opioid crisis toward the black market. Although the crisis was sparked by prescription painkillers, much of the epidemic is now fueled by street drugs and counterfeit pills that are less predictable, more dangerous and ultimately harder to stop.”

This is often an unexpected irony of regulatory efforts. Cutting off supply without dealing with the realities of the demand tends to lead to the creation of black markets. This has been demonstrated with alcohol, prostitution, and now with illegal drug use. It has been a consistent reality throughout the fifty-year-old “war on drugs.”

Whatever the solutions to the opioid epidemic may be, the recent attempts at regulation in Tennessee demonstrate healthcare solutions may best lay between you and your doctor and not simply in pure regulatory effort.

Ephrom Josine is a libertarian political blogger/commentator. You can find him on Twitter @EphromJosine1, writing near-daily on Medium @ephromjosine or weekly on Freedom First Blog.

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