Tennessee Passes Landmark Legislation Addressing the Big Pharma Role in Mass Violence and Behavioral Health – AbleChild Leads National Charge for Accountability

Guest post by Audry Hale at AbleChild.

Tennessee Passes Landmark HB 1349/SB 1146 Targeting the Behavioral Health & Big Pharma Industries’ Role in Mass Violence—AbleChild Leads National Charge for Accountability

Nashville, TN — In a historic move to address systemic failures in mental health care and public safety, Tennessee has enacted HB 1349/SB 1146, a groundbreaking law requiring autopsies of suspected mass shooters to include toxicology screenings for psychotropic drugs. The legislation, co-drafted by AbleChild—the nation’s leading nonprofit advocating for informed consent and the right to refuse psychiatric products and services—and Amy Miller, former director of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Reform Pharma initiative, marks a seismic shift in how States confront mass violence.

The Law’s Core Mandate: Shining Light on Hidden Factors

The bill, signed into law on April 10, 2025, mandates toxicology testing for deceased mass shooters who killed four or more individuals, including consultation with their mental health providers. It also calls for University of Tennessee Health Science Center (HSC) studies on interactions between psychotropic drugs and other substances in perpetrators’ systems, and public disclosure of psychotropic drug use by shooters upon request, with personal identifiers redacted.

The law amends Tennessee codes to prioritize transparency over privacy in cases of mass violence, directly challenging pharmaceutical and behavioral health industries to confront potential links between their products and practices and public safety risks.

AbleChild’s National Crusade

AbleChild, a nonprofit with a 25-year history of battling psychiatric overreach and corporate influence, spearheaded the legislation as part of its national campaign to focus on HIPAA exceptions for perpetrators of mass violence, ensuring public access to critical drug histories, expose conflicts of interest between mental health organizations and pharmaceutical funding and combat off-label prescribing and unsafe psychotropic drug use in vulnerable populations, including children in foster care.

“This law isn’t just about Tennessee—it’s a blueprint for dismantling the wall of secrecy protecting industries that profit from ignorance,” said Sheila Matthews, AbleChild co-founder. “When someone commits mass murder, the public has a right to know if mind-altering drugs played a role.”

The Debate: Privacy vs. Public Safety

The bill faced fierce opposition during legislative hearings. Rep. James Carter argued the focus on psychotropic drugs would take our eye off the prize which is the guns.  Sen. Lisa Monroe opposed posthumous drug testing, calling it a violation of a murderer’s rights in death. Despite the pushback, the bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support (76-20 in the House, 27-5 in the Senate), reflecting growing public understanding of the dangers of psychiatric drugging and demand for accountability.

Implications: A Reckoning for Pharma and Behavioral Health

The law’s ripple effects could reshape national policy. The pharmaceutical industry faces unprecedented scrutiny over undisclosed drug side effects and marketing practices, while the behavioral health sector may see stricter guidelines for experimental prescribing psychotropic drugs cocktails not tested in the human population without any ethical pushback.

States like Wyoming are already considering a similar approach, leveraging AbleChild’s model to prioritize transparency, setting a policy precedent.

Amy Miller, who helped draft the legislation, emphasized its broader mission: “This is about preventing the next tragedy. Ignoring the role of experimental psychotropic drugs helps no one—except corporations profiting from the status quo.”

A New Era of Accountability

Tennessee’s law positions AbleChild at the forefront of a contentious national debate, balancing privacy concerns against demands for transparency in public health during this growing mental health crisis. As the American people applaud the move, pharmaceutical and behavioral health lobbyists brace for impact—a clear sign that the battle for accountability has only just begun.

“The truth belongs to the living,” Matthews declared. “No industry should be allowed to hide behind HIPAA when lives are at stake and HIPPA has public safety exceptions.”

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