Treatments

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....

October 24, 2024 | Emergency Departments, Harm Reduction, Innovative Initiatives, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Public Health, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Treatments

To complement the opioid prescribing guidelines that the University of Buffalo Department of Emergency Medicine established in 2016, Dr. Joshua Lynch developed the Medication for Addiction Treatment and Electronic Referrals (MATTERS) program. He saw the need for MATTERs because the “window of opportunity” to help someone with a substance use disorder is small, and he wanted to immediately link a patient who had overdosed to a treatment program that is right for that individual....

October 17, 2024 | First Responders, Harm Reduction, Model Laws, Naloxone, Opioid Antagonists, Opioid Antagonists, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Treatments

The key elements of the Model Overdose Reversal Agents Act are to: (1) remove all existing restrictions about who can receive, possess, store, transfer without cost, or administer an ORA such that any “person or entity” is eligible; (2) require specified individuals and entities to offer ORAs to individuals at increased risk of overdose; (3) require emergency access to ORAs at specified locations for use by any individual; (4) provide guidelines for ORA sales, in particular sales of non-prescription ORAs; (6) grant broad immunity to people or entities for prescribing, dispensing, giving, donating, transferring without charge, selling, or administering ORAs in the absence of gross negligence, malice, or criminal intent; (7) identify the required content for educational information about ORAs and specify when that information must be disseminated; (8) require Medicaid and other health insurance coverage for ORAs, including non-prescription ORAs, and prohibit discriminatory life and health insurance practices; and (9) create a bulk overdose reversal agent purchasing fund to assist persons and entities to fulfill requirements under the Act....

October 2, 2024 | Harm Reduction, Innovative Initiatives, Naloxone, Opioid Antagonists, Opioid Antagonists, Recovery, Substance Misuse

In 2018, the city of Chicago, IL gained an ally in the fight against fatal overdoses and substance use disorder in the non-profit organization, To Walk in My Shoes. Co-founded by Marnell Brown, a person in long term recovery, To Walk in My Shoes provides resources and support for those in need in the community. In addition to providing individuals with job skills training, including interview practice and how to write a resume, money management skills, and conflict resolution skills, To Walk in My Shoes also works to raise awareness about and provide testing for HIV/AIDS....

September 26, 2024 | Criminal Justice, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Model Laws, Recovery, Treatments

Drafted in partnership with the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, the purpose of the this model legislation is to: (1) promote the use of all U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medication for addiction treatment options in correctional settings; (2) ensure that all incarcerated individuals with a substance use disorder are provided access to medication for addiction treatment while incarcerated, are treated as individual patients, and have individualized treatment plans reflecting their clinical needs and not a one-size-fits-all approach; and (3) ensure that, upon release from a correctional setting, individuals receiving medication for addiction treatment are provided with a connection in the community for continued care, including a prescription for the medication for addiction treatment and the necessary contacts and tools to continue their treatment....

July 12, 2024 | Fact Sheets, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Novel Psychoactive Substances, Opioids, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Treatments

In this fact sheet the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) details the changes to the "primary diagnosis other than OUD" regulation. The fact sheet also covers the federal regulatory scheme for methadone for OUD and explains what led SAMHSA to revise its regulations. ...

June 28, 2024 | Controlled Substances, Fetal and Infant Health, Legal & Legislative Research, Maternal Health, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Substance Misuse, Treatments

In this document, the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA) examines state-level statutes and regulations related to substance use during pregnancy and whether such use during pregnancy is considered child abuse or neglect in the jurisdiction. ...

May 22, 2024 | Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Model Laws, Pharmacy, Recovery, Treatments

The Model Pharmacist Collaboration for Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Act, drafted in collaboration with the Center for Health Law Studies at the St. Louis University School of Law, can help to save the lives and improve the health and quality of life of individuals who have an opioid use disorder (OUD) by expanding access to and availability of medication for OUD....

May 12, 2024 | Emergency Departments, First Responders, Harm Reduction, Innovative Initiatives, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Opioid Antagonists, Opioid Antagonists, Opioids, Public Health, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Treatments

Paramedics in the State of New Jersey are permitted to carry and administer buprenorphine to treat acute withdrawal symptoms after having had an opioid overdose reversed with naloxone. The directive, via Executive Order from the State Health Commissioner, simply added buprenorphine to the list of medications available to paramedics in the MICUs and required officials in each county to train paramedics on the protocol. ...

April 11, 2024 | Controlled Substances, Criminal Justice, Harm Reduction, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), Naloxone, Opioid Antagonists, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Public Safety, Recovery, Reports & Studies, Substance Misuse, Treatments

The Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law was established in 2018 through a generous grant from Arnold Ventures. Housed at Georgetown Law, the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative works at the intersection of public health and the law to advance a public health approach to substance use disorder and the overdose epidemic through legal and policy strategies that promote evidence-based treatment, harm reduction, and recovery. This reports highlights O'Neill's accomplishments over the last five years....