ASAM Education
DEA Education Requirements
On June 27, 2023, a one-time requirement went into effect for all DEA prescribers to complete 8 hours of education on the treatment or management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorder.
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ASAM offers a wide variety of education that meets the DEA requirement for 8 hours of training on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.
As an accredited organization named in Section 1263 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, ASAM recommends the courses listed on this page to help you fulfill the DEA’s education requirement. Our education covers everything from the fundamentals of addiction treatment to advanced topics, with options relevant to all specialties and care settings.
Recommended 8-hour Signature Courses:
Fundamentals of Addiction Medicine
This introductory course provides an overview of the basics of addiction medicine, which covers how to screen, diagnose, treat and/or refer patients with addiction.
Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder
The course covers the essential information for providers to identify, assess, diagnose, and manage patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and provides the latest information on medications and treatments for OUD.
Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder for Pregnant Patients
This 8-hour, online course provides the education that is essential for providers to identify, assess, diagnose, and manage pregnant and postpartum patients with opioid use disorder (OUD).
Additional Recommended Education:
Education to fulfill the DEA requirement does not have to be in one 8-hour course and can be completed across multiple courses/activities as long as it totals eight hours.
- ASAM eLearning: The ASAM Pain & Addiction: Essentials Online (6 hours)
- Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (4 hours)
- Buprenorphine Mini-Course: Building on Federal Prescribing Guidance (2 hours)
- 55th Annual Conference recordings (Search through 88 hours of content to identify the sessions that resonate most with your patient population)
- State of the Art Course (16 hours)
See the eLearning Center for more education options to fulfill this training requirement.
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Additional Information
(As of 3/7/25)
What:
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (CAA 2023) included a one-time requirement for DEA-registered practitioners to complete 8 hours of training on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders (SUDs).
Who:
All DEA-registered practitioners, with the exception of veterinarians. Practitioners are deemed to have satisfied this requirement if they hold board certification in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, or have previously completed the DATA-2000 Waiver training or 8 hours of cumulative training relevant to the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other SUDs from accredited groups named in the CAA 2023.
When:
The new requirement went into effect on June 27, 2023, for all initial and renewal registrations. This is a one-time requirement and is not required for subsequent DEA registration renewals.
Where:
The DEA letter sent to registered practitioners offers a list of accredited groups named in CAA 2023 that can provide training to meet the new requirement. As one of these organizations, ASAM offers a wide variety of education that meets the needs of all prescribers (see recommended education above).
Why:
To address the overdose epidemic, the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act, which was passed as part of the CAA 2023, requires at least 8 hours of training on the treatment or management of patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). By educating the clinical workforce, we can improve the detection, assessment, referral, treatment, and management of patients with SUDs and improve lives. (see SAMHSA or the DEA Diversion Control Division for more information).