Newsletter

The rhetoric against methadone has reached stunning levels. When Representative Donald Norcross (D-New Jersey) joined the other congressional sponsors of the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act this month, his press statement referred to the opioid treatment program (OTP) model as a “cartel.” The proposed legislation would, like the OTAA proposed last year (see … [Read more...] about Are OTPs cartels? Congressman Norcross says they are

On February 24, Drug Enforcement Administration announced proposed permanent rules for the prescribing of controlled medications via telemedicine, expanding patient access to critical therapies beyond the scheduled end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The public will be able to comment for 30 days on the proposed rules. The proposed rules – developed with the U.S. … [Read more...] about DEA proposes permanent telemedicine flexibilities for buprenorphine and controlled substances

As the tragic consequences of the opioid epidemic continue to mount, some experts are focusing on a creative new approach to treating opioid use disorder (OUD). At a planning meeting held in November 2019, experts met to consider strategies for evaluating medications that have not yet been used to treat OUD. Sponsoring the meeting was the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction … [Read more...] about Review: Hmmm… Methadone or Bupe for OUD? Or … LSD or THC?

Our recent articles on two opioid treatment programs (OTPs) in Alabama -- Shelby County Treatment Center and Chilton County Treatment Center – which reported police harassment of methadone patients, produced results. According to owner and director Susan Susan Staats-Combs, after she posted the articles all over town, the harassment abruptly stopped. Kudos to the … [Read more...] about Update on Alabama

 For almost thirty years, I have diligently been working to help Alabama with the Opioid crisis. I continue to serve on the Alabama Governor's Opioid Council (past and present Governors) and co-serve on the National Boards related to treatment. I also take great pride in serving on the "National Stop Stigma Now" Board with leading experts in the field of Opioid treatment. I am … [Read more...] about Email from Staats-Combs to Clanton Mayor, Chilton County law enforcement