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1 © 2020 Laureate Education Inc. Legislation Grid Template Use this document to complete Part 1 of the Module 2 Assessment Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement
Health-related Bill Name Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act
Bill Number H.R.1359 Description The bill “Modernizing Opioid Treatment Act, which was introduced in the House on March 20, 2023, by Representative Donald Norcross (D-
N) in the new Congress, “The bill introduced legislation that would have allowed some physicians to prescribe take-home methadone to patients with substance use disorders (
U.S. Congress, 2023)”. This bill is trying to update the old rules by giving certified physicians authority to prescribe methadone to patients and allowing U.S. pharmacies to dispense methadone. Overall, it represents a bipartisan effort to respond to the challenges faced by individuals seeking methadone treatment. Federal or State? Federal Legislative Intent •
The purpose of this bill is to legalize opioid medication for patients with opioid use disorders by facilitating their prescription by a certified physician and dispensed by a pharmacy. Legislation Grid Template
2 © 2020 Laureate Education Inc. •
To provide more access and resources by allowing primary care practitioners, licensed family nurse practitioners, and clinic staff to treat patients with opioid use disorders. •
To provide facilities for the patient, especially those who live in areas where there is a transportation problem. •
To provide many accesses to a lifesaving, effective medication for many Americans with opioid use disorder. •
To remove the restriction and improve the accessible health care system for opioid-abused patients
.
•
The bill proposes substantial changes to the regulation of methadone treatment, including the waiver of specific requirements of the Controlled Substances Act. Proponents/ Opponents Donald Norcross, a representative for New Jersey's first congressional district, sponsored the bill. It has 36 cosponsors, including 34 Democrats and 2 Republicans. The bill also has the support of the American Medical Association and the American Pharmacists Association, as well as physicians practicing addiction medicine in particular. Opponents: Though the specific opponents have not appeared so far on the stage, possible opposition could be from certain groups who have concerns about the potential for misuse of opioids and the risk of addiction. Also, some of the Republicans could emerge as opponents.
3 © 2020 Laureate Education Inc. Target Population Ages are varying for opioid-use patients, mostly in adolescence and young adulthood. The bill addresses individuals who are undergoing treatment for opioid use disorder and need access to take-home methadone. Status of the bill (Is it in hearings or committees?) At present, the bill has been under the Subcommittee on Health since March 10, 2023. Introduced in the House of Representatives on March 3, 2023, it was then referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary. General Notes/Comments This bill represents the large number of substances use disorder patients who are still suffering to get accessible treatment due to restrictions on the rules over the past 50 years. “Roughly 3 million people suffer from opioid use disorder, and only 400,000 Americans are accessing methadone treatment (Dunn et al., 2021). If this bill would further discuss and allow expert addiction specialist physicians to send a prescription to a pharmacy for methadone treatment of opioid use disorder, it could improve patient care and save lives.
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4 © 2020 Laureate Education Inc. Part 2: Testimony in Support of H.R. 1359 Dear Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I am writing to express my strong support for H.R. 1359
, the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act. The bill plays a significant role in representing the large number of individuals who are suffering from opioid use disorder by ensuring comprehensive, flexible treatment procedures. Advocacy Position I believe that a sufficiently accessible dose of methadone prescribed by primary care or from other allocated resources is a fundamental right to treatment for opioid use disorder. According to H.R. 1359, allowing expert addiction specialist physicians to send a prescription to a pharmacy for methadone treatment would make treatment more accessible and improve patient care. It helps, especially for those who live in remote areas and have issues with local transportation. Social determination Social factors such as income, age, education, or gender heavily impact access to opioid treatment. This bill helps to address those individuals, people, groups, or communities who are less privileged by their income, age, education, or gender. People who have a low income could not afford the drugs, and people who are older or too young could not visit regularly where resources have been allocated. The people who are
5 © 2020 Laureate Education Inc. uneducated don’t know the process of getting treatment, and this bill would also support education and awareness-raising efforts about opioid use disorder and its treatment. Addressing opposition I understand those people who are opponents of this bill because opioid use disorder is a complex issue that should be addressed very carefully. However, we need to understand that denying access to treatment does not solve the problem but even makes the situation more complicated and worse. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid use disorder is a major public health issue, with over 110,000 Americans losing their lives to drug overdoses last year. By denying funding for methadone treatment, we risk contributing to these statistics. A study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that comprehensive treatment programs, including methadone treatment, are effective in reducing opioid use and its associated health and social costs. Research has also shown that restricting access to treatment does not decrease the number of individuals with opioid use disorder. The reason behind supporting H.R. 1359 is to ensure accessible treatment for those who need proper help and guidance to overcome opioid treatment. This is not only a health issue but also one of my rights as a human being. Therefore, I urge you to support H.R. 1359, the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act. This bill represents a significant step towards ensuring comprehensive treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder.
6 © 2020 Laureate Education Inc. References American Medical Association. (2020). Opioid Task Force 2020 Progress Report. (
https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2020-07/opioid-task-force-progress-
report.pdf
) Dunn, K. E., Brooner, R. K., & Stoller, K. B. (2021, February). Technology-assisted methadone take-home dosing for dispensing methadone to persons with opioid use disorder during the Covid-19 pandemic. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 121, 108197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108197 Europe PMC. (2014). Pharmacists' Role in Addressing Opioid Abuse, Addiction, and Diversion. (
https://europepmc.org/article/MED/24257743
) Grande, L., Burnett, M., & Tirado, C. (2023). Congress must modernize access to methadone to save lives. The Seattle Times. (
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/congress-must-modernize-access-to-
methadone-to-save-lives/
) National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2014). Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide (Third Edition). (
https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/podat-3rdEd-508.pdf
) New York Times. (2023). U.S. Recorded Nearly 110,000 Overdose Deaths in 2022. (
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/us/politics/drug-overdose-deaths.html
)
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7 © 2020 Laureate Education Inc. U.S. Congress. (2023). H.R.1359 - Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act. Retrieved 12/22/2023@10am from (
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-
bill/1359?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.R.1359%22%7D&s=2&r=1
) World Health Organization. (2013). Opioid overdose: Preventing and reducing opioid overdose mortality. (
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/opioid-overdose-
preventing-and-reducing-opioid-overdose-mortality
) World Health Organization. (2009). Guidelines for the psychosocially assisted pharmacological treatment of opioid dependence. (
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241547543
)