Brunson noticed that Tennessee drug use does not mirror national trends, where alcohol and marijuana are among the most frequently used. The biggest problems in Tennessee are prescription drugs -- hydrocodone, codeine, oxycodone and benzodiazepines top the list, according to a study by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee.

To find out how people were getting the prescription drugs, Brunson consulted the Drug Enforcement Administration's Automated Reports and Consolidated Orders System (ARCOS) database. ARCOS monitors the flow of controlled substances from manufacturing through commercial distribution to points of sale -- hospitals, retail pharmacies, practitioners, and teaching institutions. The findings raised suspicions of inappropriate drug sales and administration.

Representatives from the Tennessee Medical Foundation, the Department of Health and Human Services, law enforcement, treatment, and health care came together to form the Prescription Drug Task Force. The group is working to implement a state monitoring system that would alert physicians and pharmacists to medications prescribed to the patient by other doctors. The Knox Teen Assessment Program, a survey of seventh, ninth and eleventh graders by the Knox County Health Department, now has questions on prescription drug use. The task force is also planning a summit meeting in Nashville for early 2003.

Additionally, representatives from the local media are helping the task force promote their work. Local NBC affiliate WBIR produced a series of reports addressing the problem of prescription drug abuse and this fall, WBIR will join the Knoxville News-Sentinel and the Prescription Drug Task Force to host a community forum on prescription drugs.