Policy Forum # Expanding Access to Methadone Treatment ##### Watch the Event Download: [ Video ](https://fastly-unsigned-us-east-1-prod.brightcovecdn.com/media/v1/pmp4/static/clear/6039378657001/6f73a91d-d172-4e11-8d0f-ea1b642a34db/edd77a8c-3078-400a-bdbd-b87189678c43/main.mp4) [ Audio ](https://feeds.acast.com/public/streams/5e2e15a046f4465f31c89d8c/episodes/650b5275c55d7f00114626e2.mp3) Join the conversation on X using [\#CatoHealth](https://x.com/hashtag/CatoHealth). Follow [@CatoInstitute](https://x.com/catoinstitute) on X to get future event updates, live streams, and videos from the Cato Institute. Date and Time September 13, 2023 11 AM - 12:30 PM EDT Location Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC Share This Event ##### Featuring ![Donald Norcross cropped photo](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-08/don-norcross-cropped.jpg?itok=LVVjiXez) Representative Donald W. Norcross (D‑NJ) ![Jeffrey H. Samet](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-08/Jeffrey-Samet.jpeg?itok=yUhl2u-k) Jeffrey H. Samet, MD, MA, MPH Professor of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and Professor of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health ![Helen Redmond](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-08/helen-redmond.jpeg?itok=L-1FL9S7) Helen Redmond, MSW, LCSW Senior Editor, *Filter*, Multimedia Journalist and Filmmaker, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Social Work at New York University Silver School of Social Work [ ](https://twitter.com/aftariak) [![jeff-singer-cropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2024-05/jeff-singer-cropped.jpg?itok=G_0nEnx7)](/people/jeffrey-singer) [Jeffrey A. Singer](/people/jeffrey-singer) Senior Fellow, Cato Institute [ ](https://x.com/dr4liberty) [ ](mailto:jsinger@cato.org) The National Center for Health Statistics reported that more than 107,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2021. More than three-quarters of overdose deaths involved opioids. Recent research estimates the number of adults living with opioid use disorder (OUD) ranges from 6.7 million to 7.6 million. These estimates suggest that 1–2 of every 100 U.S. residents has OUD. In the United States, federal and state laws require people with OUD who seek treatment with methadone to travel to government-approved opioid treatment programs (OTPs), which limits access to methadone treatment. Increasing access to OUD treatment would reduce the number of people who seek drugs in the dangerous black market and, in turn, reduce the risk and incidence of overdose deaths. Please join our distinguished panel to discuss ways to reform current methadone laws to destigmatize people with OUD, respect their humanity, and improve their access to methadone treatment. **Lunch to follow** [![Policy Analysis - 960 - Cover](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/promo_block/public/2023-08/policy-analysis-960-cover.png?itok=QUJK5a7r)](https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/expand-access-methadone-treatment) ##### Featured Study ### [Expand Access to Methadone Treatment](https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/expand-access-methadone-treatment) Federal and state regulations discriminate against, stigmatize, and dehumanize opioid users, and limit access to methadone treatment for many people who need and can benefit from such treatment. [Read the Study](https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/expand-access-methadone-treatment) ## Additional Resources - “[Harm Reduction: Shifting from a War on Drugs to a War on Drug‐​Related Deaths](https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/harm-reduction-shifting-war-drugs-war-drug-related-deaths),” by Jeffrey A. Singer - “[Cops Practicing Medicine](https://www.cato.org/white-paper/cops-practicing-medicine),” by Jeffrey A. Singer & Trevor Burrus - “[Methadone in Primary Care — One Small Step for Congress, One Giant Leap for Addiction Treatment](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1803982),” by Jeffrey H. Samet, M.D., M.P.H., Michael Botticelli, M.Ed., and Monica Bharel, M.D., M.P.H. - “[Methadone Matters: What the United States Can Learn from the Global Effort to Treat Opioid Addiction](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6544670/),” by S. L. Calcaterra, MD, MS, MPH,corresponding author P. Bach, MD, MSc, FRCPC, A. Chadi, PharmD, N. Chadi, MD, S. D. Kimmel, MD, MS, K. L. Morford, MD, P. Roy, MD, and J. H. Samet, MD, MS, MPH - “[Bridge Clinic Implementation of ’72-Hour Rule’ Methadone for Opioid Withdrawal Management: Impact on Opioid Treatment Program Linkage and Retention in Care](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871622002344),” by Jessica L. Taylor, Jordana Laks, Paul J. Christine, Jessica Kehoe, James Evans, Theresa W. Kim, Natalija M. Farrell, Cedric S. White, Zoe M. Weinstein, Alexander Y. Walley - “[It’s Time for Methadone to Be Prescribed as Part of Primary Care](https://www.statnews.com/2018/07/05/methadone-prescribed-primary-care/),” by Jeffrey Samet, Michael Botticelli and Monica Bharel - “[SAMHSA’s Methadone Reforms Toothless Until We End Clinics’ Power](https://filtermag.org/samhsa-methadone-reforms-clinics/),” by Helen Redmond - [*Liquid Handcuffs: A Documentary to Free Methadone*](https://www.liquidhandcuffsdoc.com/) - [*Swallow THIS: A Documentary about Methadone & Covid-19*](https://vimeo.com/ondemand/swallowthisdoc/726679631) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).