The opioid crisis continues in the U.S., despite a, and medically assisted treatment has proven to be . Now, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich has introduced legislation aimed at making it easier for patients to get one of these medications, buprenorphine.
Under the proposed law, the medication, which is more commonly known by the brand name Suboxone, would be removed from a prescription monitoring program that鈥檚 used to track other, stronger opiate prescriptions like oxycontin and fentanyl as well.
鈥淲e need an all-hands-on-deck approach to tackle this epidemic with the urgency that it demands,鈥� Heinrich said, 鈥渨hich includes eliminating barriers that providers and patients face in accessing life-saving medication.鈥�
The federal government took steps in 2022 to remove a designation from buprenorphine that brought increased scrutiny from the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Now the Broadening Utilization of Proven and Effective Treatment for Recovery Act, or BUPE for Recovery Act, introduced by Heinrich in , and U.S. Representative Paul Tonko from New York in would go a step farther.
The law would remove buprenorphine from the Suspicious Orders Reporting System, 鈥渆nsuring that patients receive timely and effective treatment for opioid use disorder,鈥� Heinrich said. 鈥淭his will help save lives and it will get New Mexicans the care they need.鈥�
Heinrich was one of 17 senators in 2023 to the Drug Enforcement Administration calling on the agency to remove barriers to access for buprenorphine.
Heinrich is seeking re-election this November and is facing Republican opponent Nella Domenici. Domenici鈥檚 campaign did not respond to request for comment on her position regarding medication-assisted treatment before air, but she has 鈥渂etter care and more resources for those facing mental health struggles鈥� including substance use disorders.
A 2021 study found that nearly half of New Mexico hospitals lacked buprenorphine.
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
