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MISAM Comments on Legislation Allowing Opioid Settlement Dollars to Fund Ibogaine Research
On June 12, the Michigan Society of Addiction Medicine (MISAM) sent a letter to members of the House Rules Committee commenting on HB 6020. This proposed legislation would expand research into ibogaine using opioid settlement funds.
In the letter, MISAM clarified that it supports ongoing research into novel treatments for substance use disorder (SUD), including ibogaine. However, MISAM asserted that opioid settlement funds should be directed towards evidence-based measures to address the public health emergency. MISAM cited the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Principles for the Use of Funds from the Opioid Litigation as an example. The principles call for distributing opioid settlement funds in a manner that prioritizes saving lives and delivering measurable benefit to communities. MISAM highlighted expanded access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and expanding naloxone distribution as two evidence-based policies that would have a tangible impact. Building workforce capacity and supporting recovery and community-based services are other recommended options for opioid settlement money. As such, MISAM called on state lawmakers to reconsider HB 6020 and instead allocate opioid settlement funds towards more proven policy interventions.
