Recovery

February 27, 2026 | Controlled Substances, Harm Reduction, Model Laws, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Substance Use Disorder

The Model Addressing Drug Diversion in Healthcare Settings (Act) (1) requires healthcare entities to establish policies and procedures for the prevention and detection of drug diversion by healthcare professionals and to ensure that treatment and recovery support services are offered to eligible healthcare professionals; (2) requires certain individuals and entities to report healthcare professionals suspected of misusing drugs and/or alcohol, diverting drugs for personal use, having an untreated substance use disorder, or practicing while impaired and to establish penalties for failure to make such reports; (3) requires boards, as defined in this Act, to establish or participate in an alternative to discipline program for eligible healthcare professionals; (4) establishes legal protections for individuals who make reports as required by this Act; (5) provides immunity from civil and criminal liability for specified individuals and entities for actions taken pursuant to this Act; (6) establishes penalties for healthcare entities that fail to take corrective action after discovering diversion by a healthcare professional; (7) establishes program reporting and audit requirements; (8) establishes technology grants for healthcare entities to be used for the prevention and detection of drug diversion; and (9) establishes funding provisions for alternative to discipline programs....

January 23, 2026 | Controlled Substances, Innovative Initiatives, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Opioids, Peer Support and Recoery Services, Prescription Drugs, Recovery, Reentry, Substance Misuse, Substance Use Disorder

Ryther, a nonprofit mental health service provider for children, teens, and young adults in Seattle, Washington, provides therapeutic services to youth struggling with mental and behavioral health issues, including substance use disorder (SUD). As part of its menu of services for SUD treatment, Ryther offers medication for addiction treatment (MAT) for those aged 12 to 25 who have opioid use disorder (OUD), making the program unique in focusing on young people. Ryther’s MAT program provides holistic treatment that addresses the physical, mental, emotional, and social challenges faced by children and young adults with SUD. Many of the participants in Ryther’s MAT program are homeless or experiencing housing instability, and the program is designed to provide these individuals with low barrier resources and support....

November 18, 2025 | Controlled Substances, Innovative Initiatives, Peer Support and Recoery Services, Recovery, Reentry, Substance Misuse, Substance Use Disorder, Workforce Development

In 2022, Frank Taylor, co-owner of Taylor Made Farm, a farm in Lexington, Kentucky for elite racehorses, pioneered the idea of opening the farm to men in need of substance use recovery to start their journey to long-term recovery by learning to take care of the farm’s million-dollar horses. He partnered with Christian Countzler, an Army veteran, to open Stable Recovery, a substance use disorder recovery program that combines peer recovery and 12-step program participation with horsemanship. ...

August 28, 2025 | Controlled Substances, Criminal Justice, Fact Sheets, Harm Reduction, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Opioids, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Treatments

Through the use of medications for addiction treatment (MAT), an individual’s substance use, withdrawal symptoms, and the physiological and psychological cravings can be controlled, enabling the person to begin treatment while in a correctional facility and be released as a person in, or on his or her way to, recovery. Research shows that that the use of MAT for Opioid Use Disorder in correctional settings is a cost-effective and life-saving intervention....

April 14, 2025 | Data Collection, Health Data, Recovery, Reports & Studies, Substance Use Disorder, Treatments

In 2024, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) convened an interagency working group (IWG) comprised of 30 federal agencies to identify federal recovery research gaps and opportunities on recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). This article outlines the process undertaken to identify these research opportunities and describes four core research topic areas and three cross-cutting themes and provides the rationale for their selection. It also identifies potential pathways for recovery research, including evaluation and data collection activities, and discusses challenges and potential opportunities for recovery research....

March 16, 2025 | Controlled Substances, Drug Courts, Fact Sheets, Harm Reduction, Peer Support and Recoery Services, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Treatments

In this fact sheet the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) details how opioid settlement proceeds are being disbursed to state and local governments, how those governments are choosing to spend those funds, and the obstacles that can prevent these funds from helping those who have been affected by the opioid epidemic....

January 6, 2025 | Controlled Substances, Insurance, Model Laws, Public Health, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Treatments

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....

December 3, 2024 | Controlled Substances, Model Laws, Peer Support and Recoery Services, Public Health, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Workforce Development

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....

November 5, 2024 | Controlled Substances, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Opioids, Recovery, Reports & Studies, Treatments

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....