Publications
Copyright & Permissions
ASAM Copyright and Permissions Information
ASAM strongly believes in the value of information sharing to advance addiction treatment, education, and research. As part of our mission, ASAM publishes many different types of materials that are protected by copyright. In order to protect the intellectual property of ASAM and other contributors, the following framework is used for granting permissions for proprietary works (both electronic and print publications).
Unless otherwise indicated, all ASAM content published on this website, in its books, in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, or in other ASAM-published material is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part by persons, organizations, or corporations other than ASAM and its affiliates without written permission. You may request permission from ASAM to reuse copyrighted materials as detailed below.
What is permission required for?
The ASAM Criteria®
The most widely used and comprehensive set of guidelines for placement, continued stay and transfer/discharge of patients with addiction and co-occurring conditions.
The ASAM Essentials of Addiction Medicine
The comprehensive 6th edition of the ASAM flagship textbook reviews the science and art behind addiction medicine.

The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine
Derived from The ASAM Principles of Addiction Medicine, 5th Edition – widely hailed as the definitive comprehensive clinical reference in the field – this companion resource presents the collective wisdom of hundreds of esteemed authorities on the art and science of addition medicine in a succinct format.
Pocket Addiction Medicine
A new volume in the bestselling Pocket Notebook series, Pocket Addiction Medicine delivers highly relevant coverage of this widespread and increasing health care problem in an easily portable source.
The ASAM Handbook on Pain and Addiction
An invaluable, evidence-based tool for clinicians to manage the complex relationship between pain and addiction.
Contact pubs@asam.org
The ASAM Handbook of Addiction Medicine
A practical, evidence-based guide to the identification and treatment of substance use disorders.
Contact pubs@asam.org

The ASAM Level of Care Certification™
The ASAM Level of Care Certification™ is a new certification offered by ASAM in partnership with CARF. The ASAM LOCC manual and companion workbook are copyrighted texts. The elements as defined in the LOCC are jointly copyrighted by CARF. ASAM holds exclusive rights to provide LOCC training.
Contact certification@asam.org
Journal of Addiction Medicine
Published six times per year, the Journal of Addiction Medicine is the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The Journal is designed for all physicians and other mental health professionals who need to keep up-to-date with the treatment of addiction disorders.
Clinical Guidelines and Resources
The ASAM Criteria
Visit The ASAM Criteria permissions webpage.
ASAM Pocket Guides
Contact info@guidelinecentral.com or visit Guideline Central.
ASAM Guidelines
Contact asamguideline@asam.org
Other Content
Educational Course Materials
Contact education@asam.org
ASAM Weekly
Contact asamweekly@asam.org
Web content
Contact marketing@asam.org
Trademarks
Contact email@asam.org
Use of the following trademarks is prohibited without permission of ASAM: “ASAM,” “American Society of Addiction Medicine,” “The ASAM Criteria.”
What does not require permission?
ASAM Fair Use Guidelines
U.S. Copyright Law exempts certain limited use of copyrighted works, referred to as "fair use" and such uses are permissible without a license or permissions agreement. The law requires that a good faith determination be made based on the balance of four factors: purpose and character of the use, nature of the copyrighted work, amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole, and effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. These factors are subject to interpretation, and careful analysis is required. Consulting legal advisors is encouraged. When in doubt, please contact ASAM to discuss any questions related to permissions and fair use.
ASAM generally considers certain uses of, and references to, its copyrighted material in statutes, regulations, or policy documents of a government agency to fall within the Fair Use doctrine and to be permissible without a permission agreement; likewise, ASAM generally considers the use of ASAM’s trademarked name for purpose of reference and identification of the standard rather than to market a service or suggest an endorsement or sponsorship to be permissible without a permission agreement. Similarly, limited uses by providers to reference their use of The ASAM Criteria for regulatory purposes and, to the extent necessary, to comply with the law may also qualify as fair use or as otherwise non-infringing. For example, providers do not need a permission agreement to implement The ASAM Criteria or to certify their compliance with relevant state requirements. However, a permission agreement is needed for any provider that wishes to publish or market their use of The ASAM Criteria, or to otherwise use The ASAM Criteria content or trademarks in connection with the sale, offering for sale, distribution, or advertising of any goods or services.
ASAM also acknowledges uses for educational purposes to be within fair use and does not require a permissions agreement for such purposes. ASAM looks to existing copyright law to define an educational purpose to include material used in educational institutions and for educational purposes. Examples of educational institutions include K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. Libraries, museums, hospitals, and other nonprofit institutions and public entities also are considered educational institutions under most educational fair use guidelines when they engage in nonprofit instructional, research, or scholarly activities for educational purposes.
ASAM further defines educational purposes to include:
- Noncommercial instruction or curriculum-based teaching by educators to students at nonprofit educational institutions,
- Planned noncommercial study or investigation directed toward making a contribution to a field of knowledge, or
- Presentation of research findings at noncommercial peer conferences, workshops, or seminars.
- Basic introductory trainings to familiarize staff with the basic conceptual framework for The ASAM Criteria, ASAM multidimensional assessment, and/or ASAM levels of care.
Training programs on The ASAM Criteria do not qualify for a fair use exception.
As noted above, minimal use of the ASAM name and/or citations to the content may also qualify for a fair use exception. Unless an intended use falls within the narrow exceptions described in this response, a permission agreement is necessary.
Uses that fall within the ASAM fair use guidelines still require the inclusion of a citation, such as the following:
Mee-Lee D, Shulman GD, Fishman MJ, Gastfriend DR, Miller, eds. The ASAM Criteria: Treatment Criteria for Addictive, Substance-Related, and Co-Occurring Conditions. 3rd ed. Carson City, NV: The Change Companies; 2013. Copyright 2013 by the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
When will ASAM deny permission?
ASAM does not permit use of ASAM service marks or allow copyrighted material to be modified or adapted. Permission to use content that has been discontinued will not be granted. Requests deemed inconsistent with ASAM's mission will be denied.
For questions, contact email@asam.org.
Permissions Fees
Permissions fees are determined by the intended use, scale of distribution, and other factors. Permission is not granted until fees are paid in full and ASAM receives a completed permission agreement.