Tennessee lawmakers are tackling a handful of bills Monday that would help fight the opioid epidemic.
Twenty people have died of a suspected overdose just this month in Knox County.
That's according to the Knox County District Attorney General's office.
That brings the total of overdoses in 2018 to 75, compared to 294 in all of last year.
Monday evening, three bills are up for discussion two in the senate and one in the house.
The first, in front of the state house, would require doctors who prescribe opioids to discuss the dangers those drugs can cause to unborn babies before giving them to women who could become pregnant.
"We have over 1,000 babies every year diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome in Tennessee and many of these can be prevented on the front end if women were educated and informed," said Karen Pershing, Executive Director of the Metro Drug Coalition.
It also enforces a penalty on providers who are failing to have these talks.
"It's something that providers should already be doing," said Pershing.
The second bill, in front of state senators, would establish an opioid hotline.
It would allow people to report suspected abuse, and protect anyone making such a call.
An amended version of the bill has already passed in the house.
It keeps the protection, but removes the hotline, encouraging people instead to call the health department.
"The general public is a little intimidated by large systems like that with the state," said Pershing. "So I think having a hotline may have been a little bit easier for the general public."
The third bill would allow people to redeem a partial opioid prescription from a pharmacist if they think they won't need the full amount prescribed.
"It allows some flexibility and it also keeps me from having unused medications in my home that my teenager might get ahold of," said Pershing.
Pershing said while every step counts in fighting the opioid epidemic, she hopes to see more legislation on helping those already addicted.
"Every little piece we can put in place is a positive step in the right direction," she said.