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What Is The Risk Of “Captagon” And Other Pill-Pressed Stimulants In Tennessee?, Jeremy C. Kourvelas Mph

SMART Policy Briefs

• The U.S. is the world’s largest market for amphetamine-type stimulants. While “ice” methamphetamine is the predominant type seized in Tennessee, amphetamine powder, cocaine, designer stimulants like MDMA, and diverted pharmaceuticals are also encountered. In fact, non-medical use of pharmaceutical amphetamines is the most predominant type of amphetamine use in the U.S.

• The ongoing shortage of prescription stimulants like Adderall puts college-aged youth and other vulnerable populations at particular risk of encountering counterfeit prescription stimulants. Fentanyl-laced counterfeit Adderall has already been discovered on college campuses, for example.

• One potential threat is “Captagon,” which was banned in the 1980s but has since …

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The Need For Point-Of-Care Testing Of All Illicit Substances, Channie Cretsinger, Jeremy Kourvelas Mph, Jennifer G. Tourville Dnp, Julia Van Zyl Md

SMART Policy Briefs

An estimated 107,477 overdose deaths occurred in the United States within the last year, with about 4,000 of those deaths being Tennesseans. Over 80 percent of these deaths are attributable to opioids such as fentanyl, for which there does not exist tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for point-of-care testing (POCT). POCT is intended to be used near or at the site of the patient and is performed outside of a physical clinical laboratory, usually at the bedside. A classic example of this is a bedside glucose test in the hospital. Tests for fentanyl and other illicit …