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AATOD Statement

The Role of The Drug Enforcement Administration in Approving the Use of Methadone Products in Treating Opioid Use Disorder

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There has been an ongoing debate over the last several years with regard to prescribing methadone to treat opioid use disorder outside the scope of the regulated OTP system. Our Association has opposed this initiative based on our concerns that this would lead to the misuse of methadone. As a reminder, five national reports on methadone-associated mortality were published between 2003 and 2010. All of these reports indicated that methadone-related mortality increased as a result of methadone products being prescribed by physicians in private practices.

The most current policy issue in this debate centers on the Drug Enforcement Administration having the independent authority to allow physicians to prescribe methadone to treat opioid use disorder and reschedule methadone products from a schedule II to a schedule III classification. In our reading of the law and based on prior communications with the DEA, the agency does not have this authority. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 would have to be amended in order to change this practice. AATOD’s statement reviews the history of methadone-related regulation.