Judges, law enforcement officials, medical professionals and advocates for children and crime victims are among more than 500 Tennesseans registered to hear Gov. Phil Bredesen, First Lady Andrea Conte, Reps. Lincoln Davis and Zach Wamp and more than 50 speakers and panelists Dec. 1-3 at the state's first annual Methamphetamine Conference. (Conference Program)
Issues ranging from Drug Endangered Children to HIV Risks Related to Meth Cases will be discussed when participants gather at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville. Sponsors for the conference, "Methamphetamine Response: A Multidiscipline Approach to Protecting Tennessee Communities," include the Administrative Office of the Courts.
The conference will focus on issues such as Methamphetamine 101, Emergency Room Response, Foster Care and Meth and Prosecution Strategies. Speakers also will address how to conduct meth investigations and medical issues of concern to judges handling the drug cases.
Speakers and panelists include TBI agents, doctors, Department of Children's Services representatives, prosecutors, local law enforcement officials, judges, victims' rights advocates and educators.
The number of meth lab seizures in Tennessee climbed from 128 in 1999 to 752 in fiscal year 2002-2003. The drug also has taken an increasing toll on children and families. Between January 2002 and July 2003, more than 500 children were removed from Tennessee homes where methamphetamine was manufactured.