Tennessee has passed a law requiring the bodies of suspected mass shooters to undergo a full toxicology screen including tests for psychotropic drugs.
Bill HB 1349/SB 1146 was drafted in conjunction with AbleChild, a nonprofit organization advocating for informed medical consent and the right to refuse psychiatric products and treatments, and Amy Miller, who headed RFK Jr.’s Reform Pharma Initiative.
The bill, which was signed into law on Thursday, requires toxicology testing for individuals who kill four or more people. This will include consultation with providers of mental-health services to the killer. Interactions between drugs in the killer’s system will also be studied, and public disclosure of toxicology results will be allowed upon request.
“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 bill faced stiff opposition in the legislature. Rep. James Carter argued the bill was a distraction from the real cause of mass shootings: guns. Sen. Lisa Monroe said posthumous drug-testing represented a violation of a murderer’s rights in death.
Despite the opposition, the bill passed 76-20 in the House and 27-5 in the Senate.
States including Wyoming are already considering similar legislation.
The role of psychotropic drugs in mass shootings is a subject of intense, often angry, debate. Some studies have shown a clear link between the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and violence, for example, others have claimed no causal link between events like school shootings and psycotropic medication.
It was revealed that would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, who tried to kill President Trump in July of 2024, was suffering from depression and may have been taking anti-depressants at the time of the shooting.
Audrey Hale underwent long-term treatment for mental-health issues at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center before killing multiple children at the Covenant School in Nashville.