Washington (December 30, 2022) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) today issued the following statement celebrating the passage of key provisions in his bipartisan Opioid Treatment Access Act (OTAA) in the end-of-the-year omnibus legislation to break down barriers on the road to recovery for Americans suffering from opioid misuse:

“COVID-19 isn’t the only public health crisis plaguing our communities this winter. From Lexington, Massachusetts to Lexington, Kentucky, our families are fighting to overcome this overdose crisis, and they need our support. I’m proud of the funding I’ve secured to fight addiction and overdoses, ensuring doctors will get better training to prescribe opioids more safely and patients will have access to methadone medication treatment when and where they need it. We have much more to do to remove barriers to treatment and end this epidemic, but this is an important step forward.”

The OTAA provisions included in the omnibus legislation will help combat the opioid epidemic and overdose crisis by shortening wait times for patients to qualify for methadone medication treatment and making it easier for methadone clinics to deliver methadone medication to people rather than requiring them to travel to a clinic. The omnibus package also includes language to improve training for medical professionals prescribing certain controlled substances, including opioids, as Senator Markey has advocated for through his bipartisan Safer Prescribing of Controlled Substances Act.

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