There has been a push by health directors and a growing number of physicians to expand substance use treatment by allowing doctors to prescribe buprenorphine. The reasoning for the push is simple; if doctors can prescribe opioids, they should be allowed to prescribe drugs to treat opioid addiction. Since buprenorphine and other medications are highly regulated, allowing doctors to prescribe them would represent a sizable shift if how opioid addiction is treated. The Theory Behind Deregulation The push from healthcare professionals has received extra attention from Congress. Recently, New York Representative Paul Tomko introduced legislation that would allow medical practitioners…
