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DEA announces new strategy fight opioid abuse, heroin abuse and violent crime in Knoxville

The 360 Strategy aims to stop "prescription opioid and heroin abuse by eliminating the drug trafficking organizations and gangs fueling violence on the streets and addiction in communities," according to a press release from the DEA.

It's only been six weeks since Karen Price lost her 21 year-old son Grayson.

"He always had a smile," she said. "He always messed with people, making them laugh."

The dirt on his grave in Farragut is fresh and his tombstone hasn't even arrived yet. He died of a suspected overdose, one of more than 200 in Knox county so far this year.

"It crosses every boundary," Price said. "It crosses every boundary and there's too many heartaches."

Heartaches that a new program from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency is trying to stop.

It's a full court press, the mayor, the DA, the medical examiner, religious leaders, representatives from hospitals and treatment center...the list goes on.

But the goal is the same.

"Our community needs to continue to mobilize with an all-hands on deck approach as we battle this epidemic," Deborah Crouse with the Metro Drug Coalition said.

For the law enforcement, it means moving beyond arrests and probation to focus on treatment and education.

"Our hope is that it does effect some change and touches other people’s lives that maybe we wouldn't encounter through our normal work," DEA Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Brett Pritts said.

It's called the "360 Strategy" and it is aimed at stopping a problem that sometimes seems unstoppable.

It is a new initiative to address prescription opioid use, heroin use and violent crime in Knoxville and the surrounding areas.

The 360 Strategy aims to stop "prescription opioid and heroin abuse by eliminating the drug trafficking organizations and gangs fueling violence on the streets and addiction in communities," according to a press release from the DEA.

Community willpower is key, officials said in a press conference Tuesday, but not to "expect changes overnight."

The DEA will also partner with healthcare professionals and social service organizations to help provide long-term help to the community.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you can find resources for help here.

The response to DEA’s request for local partners in the greater Knoxville area to participate in the 360 Strategy was overwhelming.

Local partners include AMR Emergency Medical, AMR Rural Metro Fire Department, Appalachia HIDTA, Boys and Girls Club, Buddy’s BBQ, City of Knoxville Mayor’s Office, Coca Cola, Cokesbury United Methodist Church, Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Cornerstone of Recovery, D1, DeRoyal Industries, Dollywood, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Emerald Youth Foundation, Enrichment Federal Credit Union, First Baptist Concord Church, Food City, Fraternal Order of Police, Helen Ross McNabb Center, Knox County District Attorney’s Office, Knox County Health Department, Knox County Mayor’s Office, Knox County Regional Forensic Center, Knox County Schools, Knox County Sheriff Department, Knoxville Fire Department, Knoxville Ice Bears, Knoxville Police Department, Knoxville Zoo, Label Industries, Lamar Advertising, Mayfield Dairy Farms, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, Metropolitan Drug Commission, the National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Overcoming Believers Church, Powell United Methodist Church, Regal Entertainment, Summit BHC English Mountain Recovery, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Smokies Baseball, Tennova Healthcare, University of Tennessee Police Department, and Weigel’s.

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