CDC Releases Technical Package Focused on Increasing Access to OUD Treatment

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) released a new technical package, “Linking People with Opioid Use Disorder to Medication Treatment: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices”, which includes evidence-based strategies for medical professionals, policymakers, and local leaders to implement to improve access to methadone and buprenorphine treatment for controlling opioid use and reducing the risk of opioid overdoses among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). The technical package outlines steps to initiate OUD care and highlights seven opportunities to connect patients to treatment including, primary care settings, emergency departments, inpatient hospitalization, syringe service programs, prenatal and postpartum care, outpatient mental and/or behavioral health services, and during incarceration or community supervision.

Articles & Resources

Link to CDC Technical Package

NC State University – Helping People with Opioid Addiction Get the Treatment They Need


Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Address Online Fentanyl Trafficking

Representatives Tony Gonzales (TX) and Chris Pappas (NH) recently introduced the Dark Web Interdiction Act, a bill to direct the Sentencing Commission to increase penalties for trafficking illegal drugs through the dark web, make the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) task force permanent, and require that the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Treasury publish a report on the use of virtual currency for opioid trafficking. In a press release, Representative Gonzales said, “We’re seeing the devastating and deadly results of the opioid crisis in both cities and rural areas across the country, fueled in large part by the dark web. These illegal marketplaces are a hub and a safe haven for some of society’s most dangerous criminals, and as these bad actors get more advanced, we need to ensure our law enforcement has the proper tools to crack down on their efforts.” Senators Maggie Hassan (NH) and John Cornyn (TX) introduced companion legislation on March 8th.

Articles & Resources

Dark Web Interdiction Act of 2022

The Ripon Advance – Gonzales introduces bipartisan Dark Web Interdiction Act


What We Read Last Week

Several articles were published last week pertaining to the opioid epidemic, covering a variety of different components of the topic. Links to relevant articles are provided below.

American Hospital Association – Fentanyl and the Evolution of the Opioid Epidemic

Clinical Advisor – Methadone Rx Best Option for Opioid Use Disorder

DEA – Responding to Nationwide Increases in Fentanyl-Related Mass-Overdose Events

DOJ – Justice Department Investigation Leads to Shutdown of Largest Online Darknet Marketplace

House Committee on Budget – ​ President Biden’s Budget Strengthens Public Health and Expands Access to Health Care for All Americans

KHN – Opioid Deaths Soar, Leaving States Scrambling For Solutions

NIH – Drug use severity in adolescence affects substance use disorder risk in adulthood

Pediatrics – Trends in Routine Opioid Dispensing After Common Pediatric Surgeries in the United States: 2014–2019

Penn Today – Providing naloxone in the emergency department can save lives

RAPS – Cavazzoni discusses CDER staffing, FY2023 budget priorities

Representative Sharice Davids – Davids Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Renew Mental Health Programs

The Economist – Black Americans have overtaken white victims in opioid death rates

The Hill – Native tribes demand Congress provide ‘all the resources necessary’ to combat opioid crisis


This Week’s Calendar

In the week ahead, there are no relevant events or hearings noticed at this time. In the event that there are any changes to the schedule for this week, we will make additional information available.


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