TnSAM Chapter Monthly Meetings
Please contact Dr. Zotos or ASAM membership for dates and times.
A Zoom invitation will be sent to members upon request.
PMRAC Meeting: September 14, 2023
Feel free to browse the slides below for immediate access to the presentation deck. If you would prefer to download the PowerPoint version of this content you may do so...
Tennessee Society of Addiction Medicine (TNSAM) Statement on Workplace Safety in Medical Practices
TNSAM represents addiction medicine physicians dedicated to providing the best medical care to patients afflicted with substance use disorders. We recognize that high-quality care can only be achieved in an environment where healthcare workers feel secure and protected. Recent reports and discussions highlight an urgent need to address workplace safety concerns affecting healthcare...
HB309/SB1072 Decriminalization of Marijuana
February 27, 2023
The Honorable Clay Doggett
Chair
House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice
1st Floor, State Capitol
600 Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37243
Re: TNSAM’s Support for HB309/SB1072
Dear Chair Doggett,
On behalf of the Tennessee Society of Addiction Medicine (TNSAM), the medical specialty society representing physicians and clinicians in Tennessee who specialize in the...
DEA Announces Proposed Rules for Permanent Telemedicine Flexibilities
DEA extends many telemedicine flexibilities adopted during the COVID-19 PHE with appropriate safeguards
WASHINGTON – Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced proposed permanent rules for the prescribing of controlled medications via telemedicine, expanding patient access to critical therapies beyond the scheduled end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The...
US Settlement Signals Protection for Addiction Medicine
By Travis Loller
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A former Tennessee correctional officer will receive $160,000 in back pay and damages after he was forced to resign for taking Suboxone to treat his opioid use disorder, if a judge approves a landmark consent decree filed in federal court in Nashville on Wednesday.
It is the first time the U.S. Department of Justice has used the Americans with...
International Overdose Awareness Day
We are sharing the information below on behalf of our colleagues at the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
International Overdose Awareness Day is coming up August 31. To mark the date, the State of Tennessee and its community partners are holding trainings on overdose reversal. The medication known as naloxone (brand name Narcan) is an easy-to-use overdose...
A Message from the President: Daniel D Sumrok, MD, FAAFP, DFASAM, ABPM, ABAM
Greetings TNSAM members,
There has never been a more important or exciting time to bring your expertise, experience, and skills to the emerging field of Addiction Medicine. There are high expectations facing us as pioneers and innovators while a pandemic has isolated us from each other and as overdose deaths have soared in Tennessee and across the country.
It has...
Exciting Time For Addiction Medicine – Alexander Zotos, MD, FASAM
Greetings from TnSAM,
I hope everyone enjoys their summer and takes some time off for family, friends, and personal endeavors.
It is an exciting time for addiction medicine. More and more light is being shed on the opioid epidemic currently facing our communities. The tides are turning on the liberal use of opiates for “chronic pain.” Just recently, the President of the AMA, Steven Stack,...
Current Legislative Concerns
In response to current legislative concerns:
Dear all,
We have fended off a number of legislative issues and regulatory challenges in Tennessee over the last few years. Some brief background: 1) Tennessee physicians lead the nation in prescribing opiates, 143 prescriptions each year per 100 persons (compared with 60 in NY) despite TnSAM sponsoring REMS courses and other CME. 2) Tennessee has...