ASAM Applauds Biden Administration for Making Major Investments in Addiction Care and Facilitating Greater Naloxone Access

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

September 23, 2022 

Today’s $1.5 billion investment—along with new guidance that eases certain restrictions around naloxone—represent important steps towards addressing the nation’s addiction and overdose crisis

Rockville, MD – The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) applauds the Biden Administration for announcing $1.5 billion in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to states, tribal lands, and territories to help address the nation’s addiction and overdose crisis and support people in recovery. ASAM commends the White House for helping more Americans living with substance use disorder access the evidence-based care they need, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) release of new guidance intended to facilitate the distribution of naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

“With a record number of Americans suffering deadly overdoses, today’s investment in addiction care represents an important step towards saving lives, promoting recovery, and facilitating access to evidence-based addiction treatment,” said William F. Haning, III, MD, DLFAPA, DFASAM, president of ASAM. “Today’s announcement by the Biden Administration to facilitate easier access to naloxone and strengthen the capacity of states, tribes, and other key stakeholders to respond to the ongoing crisis means we can save more lives.” 

Specifically, the Biden Administration announced it will award $1.5 billion in grants through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) State Opioid Response and Tribal Opioid Response programs. The funds would be available to all states, territories, and tribal governments to increase access to evidence-based addiction treatment, remove barriers to naloxone access, and invest in other public health strategies that are critical to saving lives and promoting recovery. Investments of over $104 million in the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) and $20.5 million in SAMHSA grants to increase access to recovery support services will further strengthen this effort.

In addition, the FDA issued guidance, effective immediately, designed to remove barriers that make it harder to access the lifesaving medication naloxone. The new guidance is intended to support harm reduction programs in their efforts to increase public availability of FDA-approved naloxone products for emergency treatment of opioid overdoses.

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Rebecca Reid 

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