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In an effort to save lives, states have implemented laws to make it easier for first responders and the general public to obtain overdose reversal agents, such as naloxone. Additionally, to encourage people to assist an individual who is or may be suffering an overdose, the majority of states also enacted laws which protect laypeople who administer overdose reversal agents, in good faith, in an emergency from civil and/or criminal liability. The Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) undertook an extensive research project to determine the current status of overdose reversal agent access laws throughout the United States, including the District of Columbia and all U.S. territories. As of January 2025, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have some form of an overdose reversal agent access law....

Each issue of News Bites will highlight unique news articles from around the United States in the areas of public health and safety, substance use disorders, and the criminal justice system. This newsletter will feature stories that you may have missed but are important to the field....

The Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Act aims to empower effective enforcement of mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) parity standards at the state level. This model legislation requires: (1) health benefit plans to provide mental health and SUD benefits on terms no more restrictive than those for medical/surgical benefits; and (2) health insurers to demonstrate compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act for all state-regulated health benefit plans subject to the parameters of this legislation. The overarching purpose of this Act is to save lives and improve health and quality of life by expanding access to mental health and SUD treatment....

Many states have enacted involuntary commitment laws for those suffering from alcoholism and/or substance use disorders (SUDs). In order to protect an individual’s civil rights, each state ensures that the committed person receives due process by providing the person the right to an attorney during the commitment process. This summary highlights provisions of of state involuntary commitment laws....

Case Law Monitor is the bimonthly case law newsletter of the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA). Each issue will highlight unique cases from around the United States in the areas of public health and safety, substance use disorders, and the criminal justice system. ...

Drafted in collaboration with the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, the purpose of the Model Building the Substance Use Disorder Workforce of the Future Act is to address the current and projected shortage of professions for the substance use disorder workforce, including psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians who are certified in addiction medicine, addiction counselors, social workers, nursing professionals, peer support professionals, and others. This legislation guides states in adopting a strategy that supports and advances immediate, intermediate, and long-term measures to build and sustain an SUD workforce....

In the fall of 2022, West Virginia implemented an opioid and substance misuse prevention program named Game Changer in three public high schools. The first of its kind in the nation program uses student peer leadership programs that focus on building school environments that foster and promote healthy living and staying away from using or experimenting with alcohol and drugs....

Each issue of News Bites will highlight unique news articles from around the United States in the areas of public health and safety, substance use disorders, and the criminal justice system. This newsletter will feature stories that you may have missed but are important to the field....

The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, together published a report that includes a comprehensive review of the laws and regulations that apply to methadone for opioid use disorder (OUD) to determine which laws and regulations would need to be amended in order to support pharmacy-based methadone treatment for OUD. This analysis (1) includes a discussion of the agencies involved in governing methadone for OUD treatment; (2) explains the provision in federal Controlled Substances Act that creates the regulatory scheme for methadone treatment; (3) describes DEA regulations governing Narcotic Treatment Programs; and (4) summarizes the general types of state laws and regulations that place additional restrictions on methadone for OUD treatment....