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, the official text

	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.