End Substance Use Disorder Praises Biden-Harris Administration for Supporting Safe Use of Methadone at Home

Today, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced that it is extending regulations that allow people to take methadone at home without needing to travel daily to clinics. End Substance Use Disorder released the following statement:

"Treatments to prevent overdoses and support recovery should be easier to access than the drugs that cause substance use disorder,” said Erin Schanning, president of End Substance Use Disorder. “Methadone is a safe, effective medication that promotes healing. We applaud the Biden Administration for placing the health and safety of patients first by easing these outdated barriers. We look forward to working together to make these flexibilities permanent so that everyone has the peace of mind in knowing they can access the healthcare they need."

Methadone is a medication to treat opioid use disorder that significantly reduces the risk of overdose death and supports recovery. Under an outdated federal law, methadone may be provided only through highly regulated treatment programs commonly known as methadone clinics. These treatment programs place onerous requirements on patients who rely on the medication to stay alive, including daily visits that can be hours from their homes.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump Administration allowed patients to take home up to 30 days of methadone at time. Research has demonstrated that these flexibilities have increased engagement with treatment and have not resulted in misuse of the medication. Under these flexibilities, because patients do not have to spend significant parts of their days traveling to the clinics, they are able to hold jobs and take care of loved ones more easily.