Advocacy Toolkit: Eliminate the Prohibition on the Prescribing of Methadone for OUD

A Grassroots Toolkit for the DOJ Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force Request for Public Comment

Advocacy Opportunity

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Anticompetitive Regulations Task Force is seeking comment by May 27 on “laws and regulations that make it more difficult for businesses to compete effectively,” particularly in high-impact sectors like health care. The DOJ notes that such rules often discourage low-cost, high-quality care and promote overbilling and consolidation.

One deregulatory idea for consideration: Eliminate the DEA’s prohibition on the prescribing of methadone for OUD. 

Restricting access to methadone for OUD to opioid treatment programs (OTPs), rather than qualified practitioners more broadly, prevents competition in treatment and harms patients who do not live near an OTP.

Take Action by May 27

Click here for an advocacy toolkit that contains step-by-step directions and a copy and paste letter to help you submit this suggestion to the DOJ by May 27. 

Learn more about how the DEA and DOJ can fix this burdensome regulation here.