HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 389        FILED ON: 1/21/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3637

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Bruce J. Ayers

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying resolution:

Resolutions urging the Congress of the United States to update the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 and remove excessive training requirements mandated for obtaining a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 389        FILED ON: 1/21/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3637

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3194 OF 2019-2020.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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Resolutions urging the Congress of the United States to update the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 and remove excessive training requirements mandated for obtaining a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine.

Whereas, since the 1990’s the United States of America has experienced a growing issue of the overprescribing of opioid pain relievers; and

Whereas, this overprescribing of opioids has led to dependence and addiction to drugs such as heroin and fentanyl, which has resulted in a major public health crisis; and

Whereas, in 2017, the United States Department of Health & Human Services declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency; and

Whereas, according to 2016 and 2017 data compiled by the Department of Health & Human Services, more than 2.1 million people suffered from an opioid use disorder; and

Whereas, in 2016 and 2017, an estimated 42,249 people died from overdosing on opioids; and

Whereas, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 130 people per day in the United States die after overdosing on opioids; and

Whereas, national experts say these numbers will only continue to grow; and

Whereas, in order to combat this growing epidemic, new methods of treatment must be explored; and

Whereas, Medically-Assisted Treatment has proven successful in reducing dependence on opioids and treating addiction; and

Whereas, buprenorphine is a medication used to treat opiate addiction; and

Whereas, buprenorphine in combination with naxolone (Narcan) is Suboxone, a method of Medically-Assisted Treatment in the form of a pill taken orally every 24 hours with the potential to reduce symptoms of opiate addiction and withdrawal; and

Whereas, buprenorphine is a Schedule III drug, meaning it carries “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence”; and

Whereas, the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 stipulates that in order to prescribe buprenorphine, a physician must complete an 8-hour training and take an exam, as well as obtain a specific “X license” through the DEA; and

Whereas, doctors may prescribe all other Schedule III drugs, as well as some Schedule II drugs (with a “high potential for abuse, which may lead to psychological or physical dependence”) utilizing their DEA license and without going through any special training or obtaining any separate licenses; and

Whereas, the requirements to prescribe buprenorphine are unreasonably stringent with no precedent set in the prescribing of other Schedule III drugs; and

Whereas, these unreasonable requirements are a deterrent for physicians to prescribe this potentially life-saving drug; and

Whereas, it is incumbent upon Congress to take every measure to treat drug addiction; be it therefore

Resolved, that The General Court urges the United States Congress to update the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 to remove excessive training requirements mandated to prescribe buprenorphine; and be it further

Resolved, that copies of these resolutions be forwarded by the Clerk of the House to the Vice-President of the United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation.