Expand Access to Methadone Treatment
Methadone is one of the most effective medications we have for opioid use disorder. But outdated rules still make it harder to access than it needs to be.
RAW supports expanding low-barrier access to medications for opioid use disorder, including methadone and buprenorphine, without shame, punishment, or unnecessary barriers. People deserve treatment options that are easier to reach than the unregulated drug supply.
Update: MOTAA 2.0 was reintroduced on June 25, 2026
Senators Ed Markey and Rand Paul reintroduced the bipartisan Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 of 2026. The bill would allow certain board-certified addiction medicine physicians and addiction psychiatrists to prescribe methadone for opioid use disorder, and allow pharmacies to dispense it.
The bill also allows HHS to identify additional qualified providers in the future. It includes guardrails such as electronic prescribing, informed consent, reporting, pharmacy dispensing requirements, and continued access to opioid treatment programs for people who want or need that model.
The issue
Methadone for opioid use disorder is still mostly limited to opioid treatment programs, often called OTPs or methadone clinics.
For some people, clinics provide important support. For others, daily travel, rigid schedules, stigma, transportation issues, work conflicts, and clinic rules can become barriers to staying alive and staying connected to care.
The bill
The Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 of 2026 would create another pathway for methadone treatment by allowing certain qualified providers to prescribe methadone for opioid use disorder and allowing pharmacies to dispense it.
This would not eliminate methadone clinics. It would add another access point for people who could benefit from pharmacy-based care.
RAW’s position
RAW supports this bill because it reflects harm reduction, dignity, and practical access.
People deserve options. People deserve care that fits real life. People deserve treatment that is not harder to access than the drugs that are putting them at risk.
People should not have to jump through impossible hoops to access lifesaving medication.
Recovery does not look one way. Treatment does not look one way. Stability does not look one way. Expanding methadone access is not about replacing one system with another. It is about giving people more doors into care.
Why this matters
- Methadone saves lives. It reduces cravings, prevents withdrawal, supports stability, and lowers overdose risk.
- Access is uneven. Many people face long travel, daily attendance, transportation barriers, and stigma.
- Pharmacies are already part of community health care. Pharmacy pickup could make treatment easier to reach for many people.
- More options means more chances to stay connected. Some people need clinic-based support. Some people need a less restrictive pathway. Both can be true.
- Low-barrier treatment is harm reduction. Making care easier to reach helps people survive.
What the bill would do
- Allow certain qualified providers to prescribe methadone for opioid use disorder.
- Allow methadone to be dispensed through pharmacies for opioid use disorder treatment.
- Allow HHS to identify additional qualified providers in the future.
- Require electronic prescribing.
- Require informed consent, including information about confidentiality differences between OTP dispensing and pharmacy dispensing.
- Allow care to be provided through telemedicine when allowed under the bill and applicable law.
- Preserve access to opioid treatment programs for people who want or need that model.
- Include reporting and oversight requirements.
Our message is simple
Keep methadone clinics available. Add pharmacy-based access. Let people and their providers choose the pathway that works.
Treatment should be based on care, trust, and evidence, not shame, punishment, or outdated restrictions.
What this is not saying
Supporting pharmacy-based access does not mean every person will want or need the same model of care. OTPs can be important, especially for people who want more structure, support, or daily connection.
RAW’s position is not either-or. It is both-and: keep clinic-based care available, and create additional pathways so more people can reach lifesaving medication in a way that fits their real life.
Take action
Contact your federal representatives and ask them to support the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 of 2026.
Phone script
Hi, my name is [your name], and I live in [city/town].
I’m calling to ask [Senator/Representative name] to support the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 of 2026.
Methadone is a lifesaving medication for opioid use disorder, but too many people face unnecessary barriers to accessing it. People should have the option to receive methadone through qualified medical providers and pharmacy pickup, while keeping methadone clinics available for people who need or prefer that support.
Please support expanding low-barrier access to evidence-based treatment. Thank you.
Email or contact form message
Subject: Support the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0
I am writing to ask you to support the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 of 2026.
Methadone is an evidence-based medication for opioid use disorder, but current rules make it too difficult for many people to access. Daily or frequent clinic visits, transportation barriers, stigma, work schedules, and other real-life challenges can prevent people from staying connected to care.
This bill would allow certain qualified providers to prescribe methadone for opioid use disorder and allow pharmacy dispensing, while keeping opioid treatment programs available for people who want or need that model.
Please support policies that make lifesaving treatment easier to reach, not harder.
Thank you,
[your name]
[city/town, NY]
Key talking points
- Methadone is healthcare.
- Medication for opioid use disorder should not be surrounded by shame and unnecessary punishment.
- People deserve more than one pathway into treatment.
- Pharmacy access can reduce transportation barriers, scheduling barriers, and stigma.
- Opioid treatment programs should remain available, but they should not be the only option.
- Making treatment easier to access is a public health strategy and a harm reduction strategy.
- People should have treatment options that are easier to reach than the unregulated drug supply.
Learn more
A note from RAW
We support any pathway that helps people survive, stabilize, reconnect, and make choices about their own lives.
That includes harm reduction, low-barrier care, medications for opioid use disorder, housing, food, safety, compassion, and community.
No shame. No one-size-fits-all recovery. No unnecessary barriers to staying alive.