Hi Chapter Presidents –

Hope all is well.

US Senators Markey and Paul (as well as their House counterparts) plan to introduce – soon – the portions of the Opioid Treatment Access Act (OTAA) from the last Congress that didn’t make it into the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.

Attached is that draft legislation.  In brief, this legislation, now named the “Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act,” would require the Attorney General to register qualifying prescribers (limited to OTP clinicians and board-certified addiction specialist physicians) to prescribe up to a 30-day supply of methadone for OUD that can be picked up by the patient at a pharmacy, subject to SAMHSA rules/guidance on methadone supplies for unsupervised use.

(Think of it as an “x-waiver” for methadone for OUD.)

The only material changes that I see from the bill text introduced last Congress are as follows:

• Provides that the patient is the only person who can pick up the methadone medication at the pharmacy
• Continues to provide States with the right to “opt out” of this program, but no longer requires States to “opt in”
• Ensures that the Attorney General “shall” register these applicant prescribers (not simply “may” register them)

If your state chapter would like to be listed as endorsing this legislation at the time of its introduction, then please email Tara Wilson at  Tara_Wilson@markey.senate.gov no later than Friday, February 24.

ASAM is endorsing the legislation this Congress; please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Kelly

Kelly M. Corredor
Chief Advocacy Officer
American Society of Addiction Medicine

Office:  301-547-4111
Cell:  904-657-6371|
Pronouns: she/her