ASAM Statement on the 2026 National Drug Control Strategy

The National Drug Control Strategy was officially released on Monday, May 4. In response to the new strategy, Dr. Taylor issued the following statement: 

“ASAM appreciates the National Drug Control Strategy’s laudable goal of increasing access to evidence-based treatment for people with substance use disorders (SUD). The strategy rightly reinforces addiction as a chronic disease for which evidence-based treatments exist, including medication and psychosocial treatments that save lives and support recovery.  

Achieving these bold demand-side goals, however, will require equally bold investments in the nation’s addiction treatment infrastructure and meaningful policy changes at the federal level.  

The strategy’s focus on building addiction treatment capacity that is integrated into the broader healthcare system, including by increasing SUD treatment in hospitals and encouraging national consensus-based standards for addiction treatment that ensure the use of evidence-based approaches, is essential if we hope to improve the health and well-being of patients with SUD. Sustainable financing is necessary to make this a reality for all Americans in need. 

Looking beyond the strategy, ASAM maintains that Congress also plays a pivotal role in incorporating addiction care into mainstream healthcare and financing systems. For this reason, we continue to urge federal lawmakers to improve patient access to methadone treatment for opioid use disorder through medical care models using pharmacies, and to close a dangerous gap in Medicare coverage for residential addiction treatment programs that meet nationally recognized standards.  

We look forward to working with all policymakers to promote patient access to evidence-based treatments and the personalized recovery supports that help people build meaningful lives.” 

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