The DEA, which regulates controlled substances such as buprenorphine, said the in-person visit is a necessary compromise that would allow people to still get the medication from a telehealth provider while reducing the likelihood buprenorphine is diverted for illicit purposes. Since 2020, the federal government allowed telehealth providers to prescribe the medication without a medical visit to ensure people could still get it during lockdowns and reduce exposure to COVID. The proposal could change how more than 1 million Americans recovering from addiction can access this opioid-substitute medicine, used to stop cravings and block withdrawal symptoms for opioid-use disorder. With the public health emergency set to end May 11, the Drug Enforcement Administration proposal would require people to visit a doctor or clinic within 30 days of getting a telehealth prescription for buprenorphine. Watch Video: Cocaine to phone use: How addiction rewires the brainĭoctors and advocates are concerned a federal proposal to roll back a pandemic policy allowing remote prescribing of a common opioid substitute medicine could jeopardize those recovering from addiction.
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