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Washington (June 25, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, and Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) today announced the reintroduction of the bipartisan Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0. The legislation would improve patients' access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) by empowering board-certified physicians to prescribe, and pharmacies to dispense, methadone for OUD.

Despite recent declines in drug overdose deaths, more than 44,100 people died of an opioid overdose last year, representing more than 120 preventable deaths each day. Almost five million people in the United States have an OUD, though less than 20 percent receive treatment. Medications like methadone and buprenorphine are considered the gold standard in treating OUD. Methadone, which has been prescribed for OUD for more than 50 years, helps people maintain recovery by suppressing withdrawal symptoms and controlling cravings.

While physicians can prescribe, and pharmacies can dispense, methadone for pain, methadone for OUD is only available at opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Patients usually have to travel to an OTP every day, or almost every day, especially early in their treatment. OTPs can be difficult to access, particularly in rural areas and for individuals with limited access to transportation. On average, patients would need to drive 4.5 times farther to get to an OTP compared to a pharmacy. Canada, the UK, and Australia allow for methadone prescribing outside of specialty treatment settings and for pharmacies to dispense methadone.

"For too long, we have kept methadone - an evidence-based, life-saving medication - locked away, far from many of the people who need it," said Senator Markey. "The Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 would take a carefully considered step forward in expanding access to this medication by allowing the most highly trained addiction physicians in the country to prescribe methadone for their patients to pick up at a pharmacy. We must knock down barriers to treatment for people at risk of opioid overdoses - not build them up."

"As a physician, I know the value of the doctor-patient relationship. This bipartisan legislation will return treatment decisions to health care providers, who know their patients best. Doing so will be another important step toward combating the opioid epidemic that has caused so much harm in Kentucky and our nation," said Dr. Paul.

Senate cosponsors include Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Senator Markey's Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act was passed by the HELP committee in December 2023. The Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 builds on the legislation by allowing HHS to designate additional providers who can prescribe methadone for OUD without necessitating additional legislation. These providers must be licensed and registered to prescribe controlled substances.

"For too long, methadone treatment for opioid use disorder has been siloed away from the mainstream healthcare system," said Stephen M. Taylor, MD, MPH, DFAPA, DFASAM, President of American Society of Addiction Medicine. "MOTAA 2.0 is a much-needed step to reduce fragmentation in addiction care and expand patient access to methadone for OUD through expert clinician prescribing and pharmacy dispensing."

"Our healthcare providers continue to see first-hand how the opioid crisis affects the communities they love and serve. This proposal would give them another powerful tool to connect people with the critical - often lifesaving - treatment they need, when they need it, where they need it. We are grateful for Senator Markey and his co-sponsors' longstanding advocacy on this issue," said Leigh Simons, Vice President of Policy & Regulatory Affairs at Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA).

"Communities across rural America continue to face significant barriers to accessing timely, evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder, particularly in areas where transportation challenges, provider shortages, and long travel distances limit access to care. MOTAA offers a balanced, commonsense approach that expands access to methadone through qualified addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry physicians and community pharmacies while preserving important state oversight and patient safety protections. As leaders representing public safety, the justice system, and community health, we have witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of opioid addiction on individuals, families, and communities. We have also seen the positive outcomes that occur when people can access treatment quickly and consistently. We commend Senators Markey and Paul for their bipartisan leadership and urge Congress to advance this important legislation," said Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, Franklin County Register of Probate John F. Merrigan, and Franklin County Sheriff Lori M. Streeter, Co-Chairs of the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region, Massachusetts.

"Methadone is a proven, effective treatment for opioid use disorder and patients need real access to it. We applaud Senator Markey's continued leadership on this issue and his work to make this medication more accessible," said Libby Jones, Associate Vice President, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Overdose Prevention Initiative.

"Individuals in recovery rely on a variety of resources, and for many, methadone is an important one. People who undergo methadone maintenance treatment have a very high success rate, which in turn reduces mortality and cuts down on diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis. Expanding methadone access through this legislation will give more people an opportunity to experience the benefits of recovery, and make us a healthier nation," said Patty McCarthy, CEO of Faces & Voices of Recovery.

"For too long, outdated restrictions have treated life-saving addiction treatment like a legal barrier rather than the essential healthcare it is. By keeping methadone locked behind specialized clinics, we force individuals in recovery to face daily transportation burdens and institutional stigma just to stay alive. The Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act is a common-sense, bipartisan breakthrough that will finally allow trusted local doctors to prescribe and neighborhood pharmacies to dispense this critical medication. Meeting people where they are in their community is how we break the cycle of overdose, and PAARI is proud to support Senator Markey's vital legislation to make recovery more accessible than the illicit drug supply," said Zoe Grover, Executive Director of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI).

More than 50 organizations endorse the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0, including: A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing), AIDS United, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists, American College of Academic Addiction Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Medical Toxicology, American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine, American Osteopathic Association, American Pharmacists Association, American Psychological Association Services, American Society of Addiction Medicine, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction (AMERSA), Big Cities Health Coalition, Boston Medical Center, Broken No More, Center for Addiction Science, Policy, and Research (CASPR), Doctors for Drug Policy Reform, Drug Policy Alliance, Faces & Voices of Recovery, Georgia Council for Recovery, HIV Alliance, Inseparable, International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), Legal Action Center, Mass General Brigham, Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association (MHA), Massachusetts Society of Addiction Medicine, Mental Health America, Mobilize Recovery, National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Behavioral Health Association of Providers, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, National Coalition to Liberate Methadone, National Commission on Correctional Health Care, National Community Pharmacists Association, National Rural Health Association, Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region, Overdose Prevention Initiative, Partnership to End Addiction, Penn Medicine's Center for Addiction Medicine & Policy, Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, R Street Institute, Shatterproof, SMART Recovery, Talbott Legacy Centers, The Kennedy Forum, Veterans Inc., WellSpan Health, Yale Program in Addiction Medicine, and Young People in Recovery.

Senator Markey has been supportive of increasing access to substance use disorder treatments such as methadone, as well as harm reduction tools. In May 2026, Senator Markey wrote to Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of SAMHSA Christopher Carroll, urging the agency to reverse new guidance barring grant recipients from purchasing and distributing life-saving tools, such as fentanyl test strips, for people with substance use disorders. In December 2024, Senators Markey and Braun (R-Ind.) wrote to BayMark Health Services, Behavioral Health Group, Crossroads Treatment Centers, New Season, and Western Pacific Med Corp seeking answers on the role of private equity investment in their opioid treatment program and how that is impacting access to methadone for OUD. In December 2024, he also wrote to Acadia Healthcare, raising concerns regarding the company's profit motivations and the impact on the quality and safety of, and access to, behavioral health care. In February 2024, SAMHSA announced a final rule to comprehensively update regulations governing OTPs, the first substantial updates to methadone access regulations in more than 20 years, which Senator Markey applauded.

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