Volume 4, Issue 4

December 2014

2014 Officers
and Directors
Tennessee Association of
Drug Court Professionals
President
Tracye Bryant
Vice President
Tracye Bryant
Treasurer
Brad Price
Secretary
Rick Taylor
West Tennessee Director
Angela Parkerson
Middle Tennessee Director
Mike Lewis
East Tennessee Director
Judge Charles Cerny
At Large Directors
Ron Hanaver
Kevin Batts
Jill Barrett

Inside This Issue

A New Immunoassay
For Testing Opiate
Abuse 2
Acts of
Kindness 2
TADCP
Events 2
Burch Says
Farewell 3
The Presidents
Corner 3
Perry
Retires 4
Membership
Application 4

A Publication by the

Founders of the 27th Judicial District Recovery Court Retire

Judge William B. Acree, Jr. and Veronica Thornton End Careers

On September 1, 2014, both Circuit Court Judge William B.

Bill Acree and Recovery Drug Court Coordinator Ms.
Veronica Thornton retired from their long standing careers and
their work with the 27th Judicial District Recovery Drug Court
program. In 2001 Judge Acree, disillusioned by seeing the same
faces continually appearing in his
court decided to develop and implement a Drug Court program for the
27th Judicial District which serves
both Weakley and Obion counties. Ms.
Veronica Thornton, the director for the
Westate Corrections Agency in Union
City Tennessee, without hesitation
came on board, and agreed to serve as
the program coordinator.
It was in 2001 that the pair (Acree
and Thornton) first discussed the drug
court program. They became interested enough in the statistical results they
were being shown that they continued
their investigation by traveling to
Chico, California for initial introductory training.
Upon their return they began interviewing and selecting the drug court team. There has been little
turn over since, many of the initial members having served continually alongside them in this endeavor all these years. Before
starting the court, the whole team traveled to Olympia,
Washington for final intensive organizational instruction in early
2002 and opened the doors of that new recovery court later that
year. It has flourished ever since.
The team, under the leadership of these two stalwarts, made
several crucial decisions early on. First, the team decided to
meet each week at eight (8:00 a.m.) every Thursday morning
rain or shine. Second, they concluded that if they were going to
meet every week, that early in the morning, and without extra
pay, that another commitment must be made in order to make it
worth that sacrifice. The team chose not to cherry pick participants, to not select easy compliers or certain graduates to
boost statistics. The team chose to go after the worst, the hard
core offenders, the incorrigible and least likely to succeed. The
team decided that reaching them was the only way the program
would be perceived as or be truly significant. And finally, the
first treatment provider, Dr. Johnny Welch convinced the team
to use the MRT Step Program. These three decisions have proven providential.
The 27th Judicial District Drug Court is a post plea felony
treatment program targeting non-violent offenders suffering
from severe substance abuse issues. Clients accepted into the
program receive intensive treatment, intensive supervision, frequent drug screens, and continued judicial intervention.
The mission of the Twenty-Seventh Judicial District is and
has always been to reduce drug related crime in Weakley and
Obion counties of rural West Tennessee, by reducing drug
dependency among drug court clients.
In 2008, Acree and Thornton working in collaboration with
Weakley County General Sessions Judge Tommy Moore and the
entire drug court team filed for certification status through the
Office of Criminal Justice Programs and became a certified
drug court. In 2009 Obion County General Sessions Judge
Jimmy Smith joined the Recovery Drug Court team. As of July
30, 2014, 130 participants have graduated from the 27th Judicial
District Recovery Drug Court program. There have been over

300 participants, 45 currently participating.

Both Judge Acree and Ms. Thornton have left a legacy that
the current drug court team intends to continue for years to
come. The Recovery Drug Court team welcomes Honorable Jeff
Parham who was elected as the Circuit Court Judge for the 27th
Judicial District. Mr. Michael Walton,
the Assistant Director for Westate
Corrections and a veteran to the Drug
Court program will take the helm as
the new Recovery Drug Court
Coordinator.
Judge Acree modestly commented
that the Recovery Court works because
of the Team. He insisted that, had not
all the people who have worked on that
team not come on board, the Court
would have faltered. He remarked, I
knew we had the makings of something great when both, Sheriff Jerry
Vastbinder and Sheriff Mike Wilson,
and when DA Tommy Thomas and his
staff, PD Joe Atnip and his staff,
Veronica Thornton and her staff at
Westate, Dr. Debra Gibson (UT
Professor) as statistician/record keeper, Judges Moore and Smith
and our Treatment Advisors all signed up and committed to it.
Judge Tommy Moore lauded Acree, noting his role in bringing the drug court to the area. One of his great legacies will be
the successful drug court program that he helped start 10 years
ago. He insisted that we all receive training for the program and
that we run the program exactly by the book as were trained to
do. He and Ms. Thornton sold the Drug Court idea to the people
who have now become our Steering Committee -- local law
enforcement, County Commissioners, Attorneys, businessmen,
the clergy and the lay people of the area.
Attorney General Tommy Thomas remarked, We have been
able to reduce the crime rate through this program and given
these people a new lease on life. Many of them have not turned
back to crime and now take care of their bills and their families.
We all must hand it to Judge Acree and Ms. Thornton that they
saw the potential that this program had ten years ago.
Public Defender Joe Atnip shared, The program has brought
the legal community together and has encouraged all of us to
cooperate for the good of the District and to help fight; the
scourge of drugs, the crime caused by drugs and the devastating
effect these illegal substances have on lives and families.
General Sessions Judge Jimmy Smith concluded, One of the
reasons I decided to become a Judge was the opportunity I
might have to participate in this incredible program and work
alongside my colleagues (Judge Acree and Judge Moore) and
the DA Tommy Thomas and PD Joe Atnip and others on the
Drug Court Team to have an impact on making this District a
better place and to help transform lives and families.
Judge Bill Acree finalized his interview with, It has been
a rewarding part of my career to help create something that has
helped so many people.

Attorney General Tommy Thomas remarked,

"...We all must hand it to Judge Acree and
Ms. Thornton that they saw the potential that
this program had ten years ago.

Page 2

Tennessee Association of DrugCourt Professionals

A New Immunoassay for Testing Opiate Abuse

The increasing prevalence of chronic pain continues to be a
source of concern for healthcare providers. Health care professionals have long recognized the potential for addiction and abuse of
prescription opioids. In the past decade, a greater focus has been
placed on pain management, which has led to a significant increase
in the number of opioids prescribed and may have contributed to
long-standing trends of abuse and addiction. A dichotomy exists in
the realm of pain management between balancing the under-treatment of pain and the potential for opioid misuse.
One of the treatments of choice for chronic pain involves strong
medications such as opioids. Side effects of opioids include sedation, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and constipation. These medications often result in abuse, misuse, or diversions. Adding to the
complexity of managing pain patients is the fact that these medications are controlled substances and cannot be purchased over the
counter, therefore have high street value. For all these reasons physician are required to determine whether patients under their care
are compliant with their medication regime, abusing their medications, or diverting them for financial gain. Thus, managing pain
patients with opioid therapy is a difficult and controversial issue.
Urine drug testing (UDT) is one of the tools that clinicians use
to monitor medication behaviors and avoid morbidity and mortality associated with opioids. UDT gives confidence to the physician that the patient is following the medication regimen and is
therefore getting the most benefit from their treatment. In addition, UDT has been associated with forensic testing, often referred
to as workplace testing, to detect illicit drug use in employees.
Workplace UDT has traditionally focused on identifying the use of
abused drugs including amphetamines (methamphetamine),
cocaine, marijuana, phencyclidine (PCP), and heroin (opiates).
Proposed Revisions to Testing for these drugs usually follows
scheduled guidelines established by the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (Federal
Register, 2004). Analytically, the testing involves qualitative and
semi-quantitative immunoassay screening followed by confirmation by mass spectrometry. Testing for patients on chronic opioid
therapy is a different paradigm as both positive and negative results
are important. Assays that are more sensitive and can determine
both the parent drug and one or more of its metabolites are therefore as important.
In order for the physicians to have an exact indication of the
medications the patients need to take a broader clinical laboratory
UDT menu to accurately monitor the pain patient population. For
example, a positive opiate test does not indicate whether the patient
is on codeine, hydrocodone, morphine, or hydromorphone.
Therefore, in order to establish compliance it is necessary for the

physician to determine exactly which medication has been ingested

and assure the patient is not taking additional opiates which could
create an unsafe situation.
The medications most commonly found in the urine of this
population are clearly hydrocodone and oxycodone, followed by
morphine and hydromorphone; codeine is not frequently prescribed
for this population. Benzodiazepines are the next most prescribed
group. Other opioid medications such as fentanyl, meperidine, tramadol, and propoxyphene are less frequently used. The use of
muscle relaxants, such as carisoprodol, are also commonly seen.
Marijuana is by far the most prevalent among the illicit drugs, followed by cocaine and methamphetamine. The accurate interpretation of test results thus requires an understanding of the usefulness
and limitations of immunoassays, knowledge of opiate metabolism,
and awareness of the expected ratios of the parent drug and its
metabolites in urine. In addition, small amount of impurities in
medications detectable by mass spectrometry can complicate the
interpretation of UDT results.
There are two aspects of drug abuse in the pain patient population; one is the use of illicit drugs, and the other more prevalent
aspect is abuse of the prescribed and non-prescribed medications.
Combined, these two facets of abuse may approach 20-30% of the
patients on chronic opioid therapy. Based on this data alone, the
use of UDT should be justified for pain patients. When monitoring
for opioid medication compliance, the testing method should be
able to differentiate between codeine, morphine, hydrocodone,
norhydrocodone, and hydromorphone. The immunoassay test
should also be able to differentiate between oxycodone, noroxycodone, and oxymorphone. This will allow the physician to determine
that the opiate the patient is taking is in fact the one being prescribed and that the patient is metabolizing the medication properly.
The most commonly abused opioid is hydrocodone, a frequently prescribed pain medication. Hydrocodone is a semi-synthetic
opioid prescribed for pain management and cough. It is the most
commonly abused prescribed opioid, as determined by the data
reported to the American Association of Poison Centers and
DAWN. The increased incidence of deaths attributed to hydrocodone abuse is also a major concern. The International Narcotics
Control Board reported that 99% of the worldwide hydrocodone
supply in 2007 was consumed in the United States. Commercial
hydrocodone preparations are always combined with another medication to increase efficacy and reduce adverse effects. It is available as a mixture with acetaminophen (Vicodin), aspirin (Lortab),
ibuprofen (Vicoprofen) and antihistamines (Hyconine). Currently,
four pharmaceutical companies are developing long acting formu-

lations of hydrocodone. Of these, Zohydro ER has been submitted to FDA for new drug consideration. The recommended starting
therapeutic dose range for hydrocodone is 530 mg (one capsule)
per day. Analgesic action of hydrocodone begins 2030 minutes
after taking it and lasts 48 hours. Hydrocodone is sometimes
referred to as a pro-drug because the more active compound is
the metabolite (hydromorphone), not the administered drug.
Although, several specific immunoassays for drugs of abuse
are commercially available, including an opiate immunoassay
which detects several opioids simultaneously, its sensitivity to
detect hydrocodone and its metabolites is much lower. This leads to
increasing possibility of negative screening when the drug is present in urine. The objective was thus, to develop a specific homogeneous enzyme immunoassay for the specific detection of hydrocodone and hydromorphone and its glucuronide in human urine.
Thermo Fisher Scientific now offers the Thermo Scientific
DRI Hydrocodone/ Hydromporphone Immunoassay* with a 300
ng/mL cutoff and 25% Low and High Controls. The assay uses a
highly specific monoclonal antibody that can detect hydrocodone,
hydromorphone and hydromorphone -D-glucuronide. The assay
range is 0 ng/mL to 1000 ng/mL. The reagents, calibrators and
controls are liquid ready-to-use.
The assay demonstrated 100% cross-reactivity to hydromorphone and its glucuronide with minimal cross-reactivity to opiate
compounds and other concomitantly taken drugs. No significant
interference was observed from endogenous substances. Two hundred and sixty eight patient samples were tested by immunoassay
and the results showed >90% agreement with LC-MS/MS.
The assay is intended for the qualitative and semi-quantitative
determination of hydrocodone and its metabolites in human urine
and is compatible with most automated clinical analyzers. For
more information about this product and other drugs of abuse
immunoassays, go to www.thermoscientific.com/dignostics
Zohydro ER is a trademark of Zogenix, Inc. Vicodin is a
registered trademark of Abbvie Inc. Corporation. Lortab is a
registered trademark of UCB Pharma Inc. All other trademarks are
the property of Thermo Fisher Scientific and its subsidiaries.
* For Criminal Justice and Forensic Use Only and is for sale in
the U.S.A. only.
Author
Wendy Locklin
Commercial Marketing Manager
Thermo Fisher Scientific

Acts of Kindness

Gibson County Recovery Court - Trenton, Tennessee

As we look forward to the Thanksgiving Session we
wanted to share our gratitude with our community. We
issued a challenge to our participants to do a random act of
kindness to a stranger. Our folks did an amazing job and
received blessings from their actions. As I tell our participants all the time, they are no longer jail material. Our
folks are great neighbors, friends, parents, employees and
spouses. Here are their accounts of there act of kindness:
I bought a man and woman some cold cuts from walmart because I saw them holding up a sign saying they
were hungry. I also bought their dog some food! Michael
R. Phase 3
I gathered up some of the clothes that my daughter
cant wear anymore and some jackets and donated them to
our local Mustard Seed. It was a humbling experience for
me. I also paid for a ladys food behing me at
McDonalds. Tracy M. Hopeful candidate
I donated clothes to our Helping Hands and Twice
Blessed. I feel so good when I help another. I gave a
co-worker a ride home who was waiting in the cold. I gave
$16.00 to the Charlie Brown Fund, he is at Vanderbilt
Hospital. Eden H. Phase 2
Me and my dad were on our way to Milan and I
stopped to help a lady who had a flat. So I changed it for
her. It made me feel good Bradley W. Phase 2
I went to Humboldt Wal-mart and helped an elderly
couple put their groceries in their car. I told them I was in
Recovery Court and now just want to help others. Zach E.
Phase 2
I stopped to help a lady who had a flat tire. She said I

was the first one to stop and she had been there 45 minutes. Lynn R. Phase 2
I work at Butts Food and we have homeless people
up and down our street. I took a homeless man (John) to
the Dodge Store bought him breakfast and found out he
was an alcoholic so I gave him a copy of meetings in our
area." Kelsha R. Phase 3
I saw a homeless man at Little General in Humboldt
and it was cold and raining. I went into the store and
bought him a pack of smokes and gave it to him with a
10.00 bill. I hope he is ok today. Travis B. Phase 3
On my way to the AA meeting I gave a man a ride. I
do this often and he dont talk in the meeting but does on
the way back home. It helps us both. Bryan C. Phase 2
I gave my daughter clothes she couldnt wear to this
mans granddaughter." Katie W. Phase 4
A woman who was dropped off at a meeting didnt
have a ride home. I gave her one. It felt good." Sam G.
Phase 3
I donated my clothes I cant wear. Ive gained 27
pounds. Kim R. Phase 1
I went into our local Dollar Store and a cashier
named Sam was so kind to me. She mentioned she also
had children. She was such a blessing to me I decided to
help her. I went home and made a basket full of cookies,
fruit etc and wrote her a note took it back to the store and
left it at the register with her name on it. It was amazing to
share this with my kids Mandi L. Phase 1. PS: this girl
makes awesome baskets.
I was riding down the road with my mom and noticed

a woman ran her car off in a ditch. We stopped and I went

to check on her and stayed with her until the police and
ambulance got there. Cynric P. Phase 1
THE WORLD DOES NOT CHANGE BY GRAND
JESTURES BUT SIMPLE ACTS OF KINDNESS.
Submitted by: Lori; Angie; Monica; Janice; Tom; Scott;
Danny (Team Members)

TADCP
E
v
e
n
t
s

Mark Your
Calendars!
2015 NADCP
Conference
December 2-4, 2015

EmbassySuites
&Conference Center
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Registration InformationComingSoon!

Page 3

Tennessee Association of DrugCourt Professionals

Judge Robert E. Burch Says Farewell

The
Presidents
Corner

23rd District Judge Retires, But Stays On as Team Member

The 23rd Judicial District Drug Court
bade a fond farewell to Circuit Court
Judge Robert E. Burch last month. But it
was not
for long.
You see,
Judge
Burch
returned
the following
week as a
dedicated
Drug
Court Team Member, a role he intends to
keep. The entire team breathed a deep
sigh of relief as Judge Burch entered the
courtroom that next Thursday night and
took his regular seat in the jury room to
participate in pre-court staffing.
The team welcomed a new Drug Court
Judge that night, Circuit Judge Suzanne
Lockert-Mash. Judge Lockert-Mash is no
stranger to Drug Court. The long-time
prosecutor regularly recommended Drug
Court to defendants and would help them
navigate their way into the program. She
fit right in, and noted appreciation to
Judge Burch for staying on and acting as
mentor to her in her new role in Drug
Court.
Judge Burch was at the helm when the

Drug Court was established 14 years ago.

Burch says Drug Court is one of the most
rewarding things he does. He is enormously pleased with the accomplishments of the program, and
especially the lives that have
been touched by Drug Court. The
23rd Judicial District includes
Cheatham, Dickson, Houston,
Humphreys, and Stewart
Counties.
Judge Burch says the most
touching aspect of Drug Court
for him is when he sees families
reunited. He recalls a teenage girl once
thanking him for Giving me back my
daddy.
Judge Burch earned his law degree from
Vanderbilt University in 1972. He worked
as an attorney, a commercial pilot, and a
Juvenile Referee before coming to the
bench 34 years ago. He was named
Tennessee Trial Judge of the Year in 2002.

By Tracye Bryant
Hey everybody! Its time for the December newsletter,
which also means, its almost Christmas and very close to a
New Year! 2015 is just around the corner!
To start this quarters newsletter off, I know that you see
its being written by me instead of Mary Schneider. For
those of you that dont know yet, Mary made the decision
to retire! Yes Retire! Can you believe it? I know many of
us are looking forward to that day when we can slow down
a little bit, so I truly hope that Mary will be able to do that
and move into her next adventure. I know grandkids are
certainly part of that!
Ive been working with the Sumner County Recovery
Court Program since 2003 and Mary was the first person I
was introduced to. Her Program in Rutherford County was
already well established and my Judge insisted that I go
visit her and learn what I could. Mary was a great resource
and always willing to help with advice and share information. Many of us in the field have watched Mary, along
with many others work hard and long hours to help promote Tennessee Recovery Courts and help move them forward in a stronger direction. The TADCP Board members
and Recovery Court Professionals want to Thank Mary for
her hard work and determination. Mary, you will never be
forgotten and your work with Recovery Courts will always
be remembered. We all wish you the very best!
As we rapidly approach the State Conference in
Murfreesboro Tennessee at the amazing Embassy Suites. I
hope everyone is registered and reservations have been
made (but heres the link if you still need to do that: http://
tadcpconference10.ezregister.com). I look forward to seeing new faces and old ones! I think everyone is going to
enjoy this years conference with its guest speakers and
exhibitors. Every year I always learn something new that I
can take back to my own program to help improve it. The
conference is a time for Recovery Court Professionals to
gather with others, share program stories and interact with
each other, listen to what they are doing and what ideas
they have and what is working for them. We all have the
same 10 key components to follow but yet each one of our
programs is unique in its own way.
We all work very hard to help our participants to move
forward in a positive direction. In doing that we need to
also take care of ourselves. I feel the State Conference is
a way for us to get revived and regenerated so we can go
back to our own programs and look at what we are doing,
what we need to improve on and what we are doing well!
So get geared up to get revived and to enjoy the conference, relax and maybe do a little Christmas shopping! See
you there!
Regards,
Tracye Bryant

TADCPMembers
Enjoy....

Continuing Education Opportunities

(NAADAC andCLE)

Annual TADCP Conference

Quarterly Newsletter
Representation through the
TADCP Legislative Committee

Free and Discounted Training Opportunities

Page 4

Tennessee Association of DrugCourt Professionals

12th Judicial District Judge Buddy. D. Perry to Retire

Perry Served as the 12th District Drug Court Judge Since it's Inception in 2005

After twenty-eight years serving as

Circuit Judge for the 12th Judicial District,
Judge Buddy D. Perry determined it was
time to retire and choose not to run for the
office in the last election. He has returned
to private practice with an emphasize on
mediations.
Perry was the Drug Court Judge for the
district from the beginning of the Drug
Court in 2005 until his retirement and was

one of the leaders in the effort to get the

court established. His passion for the rehabilitation of those addicted to substances
comes from a deep personal experience
and drives him and his wife Jean to work

Perry will continue his involvement with

the Drug Court by serving on the Drug
Court Team and will also be involved in
the work of the Drug Court Foundation...

daily to support and befriend those with an

addiction problem.
Perry will continue his involvement with
the Drug Court by serving on the Drug
Court Team and will also be involved in
the work of the Drug Court Foundation
that he was instrumental in establishing.
The 12th District Drug Court Foundation is
a 501 c 3 non-profit corporation working
in support of the efforts of the Drug Court.

Tennessee Association of Drug Court Professionals

Membership Application

A one-year membership to TADCP is $25 per person. An organizational membership from 1/01/2014 - 12/31/2014 is $200 for 2-10 members
and $10 for each additional member greater than 10.Please make checks payable to TADCP.
Is this application for an individual membership or organizational membership? Individual Organizational
Please specify the membership organization_______________________________________________________
1. Primary contact person
Name
Title
Organization

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Mailing Address
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