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Thread: Rand Paul Pushing Through Heroin Legislation

  1. #1

    Rand Paul Pushing Through Heroin Legislation

    Rand Paul Pushing Through Heroin Legislation

    By LISA AUTRY
    APR 15, 2016

    U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky says Congress is close to approving a bill that will help combat heroin addiction in his home state.

    Speaking at a medical town hall in Bowling Green today, the Republican lawmaker said federal restrictions have too often stood in the way of giving heroin users effective treatment for their addictions.

    Under current law, doctors can prescribe suboxone to 30 patients at a time in the first year, and 100 the following year. Suboxone can help lessen dependence on the drug.

    Paul is co-sponsoring a bill to increase the cap to 500 patients. "There is said to be a million patients who need to be treated but don't have a doctor to go to because of this federal law limiting access," Paul says.

    ...
    read more:
    http://wkms.org/post/rand-paul-pushi...ation#stream/0



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  3. #2

    wasn't suboxone the drug that one of the recent mass shooters was on?

    Quote Originally Posted by jct74 View Post
    Not so sure this is really a great thing to get behind.

  4. #3
    ...or just legalize something less harmful.

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by jaymur View Post
    Not so sure this is really a great thing to get behind.
    It's the right thing to do though.


    Quote Originally Posted by FindLiberty View Post
    ...or just legalize something less harmful.
    That's not going to happen any time soon. In the meantime, reduce harm.

    Also, even if heroin would be legal, it's not a substance that is very conducive to recreational use.
    "I am a bird"

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by jaymur View Post
    Not so sure this is really a great thing to get behind.
    Quote Originally Posted by FindLiberty View Post
    ...or just legalize something less harmful.
    Legalizing (decriminalizing) all drugs is the only approach that will be a net benefit to society as a whole...

    The growth of the "Just-Us" department, their courts, prisons and kops of various stripes can all be tied directly to Tricky-Dick's war on drugs.

    Let the addicts flop like fish, load 'em up like cord-wood and be done with 'em........Same for all the billions of dollars worth of government functionaries who justify their existence "bringing them to justice"..........

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    ... all be tied directly to Tricky-Dick's war on drugs...
    Yea, ...and only a half-century later.

    So close now, only need a few more decades of peace prisons and billions of additional no-harm dollars...
    WINNING WINNING WINNING. (If Trump is really smart as he says he is, maybe he'll re-think that whole deal!)

    Not great. Can't make great again because of the lives and families ruined forever....
    and the problem just gets worse, not better.

    Something is WRONG! Too many people taking RX drugs now too.
    World is going mad the entire time.

    The pre-Nixon sixties look better in many ways. Yes, that's the solution:
    Maybe the first step should be re-starting the cold war with Russia?
    This time, M.A.D. nuclear destruction could be the goal!

  8. #7
    I've always believed that if heroin were legalized it would be hard to profit on it due to lawsuits.
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  9. #8
    By Rand pushing this angle rather than the "legalize freedom" approach he's drawing attention to the fact that our corrupt government is simultaneously locking people up for being hooked on heroin while blocking access to medical treatment that could possibly get them off of addiction to heroin. Good job Rand.
    9/11 Thermate experiments

    Winston Churchhill on why the U.S. should have stayed OUT of World War I

    "I am so %^&*^ sick of this cult of Ron Paul. The Paulites. What is with these %^&*^ people? Why are there so many of them?" YouTube rant by "TheAmazingAtheist"

    "We as a country have lost faith and confidence in freedom." -- Ron Paul

    "It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute." -- Ron Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No need to make it a superhighway.
    Quote Originally Posted by osan View Post
    The only way I see Trump as likely to affect any real change would be through martial law, and that has zero chances of success without strong buy-in by the JCS at the very minimum.



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  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by jmdrake View Post
    By Rand pushing this angle rather than the "legalize freedom" approach he's drawing attention to the fact that our corrupt government is simultaneously locking people up for being hooked on heroin while blocking access to medical treatment that could possibly get them off of addiction to heroin. Good job Rand.
    You forgot to mention that fed-gov is making it next to impossible for legitimate pain sufferers to get narcotics legally and is forcing them into the black market...

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    You forgot to mention that fed-gov is making it next to impossible for legitimate pain sufferers to get narcotics legally and is forcing them into the black market...
    Oh the federal government does a lot of things wrong. I'm glad that Rand has identified at least one thing wrong with the drug war that he might actually be able to do something about.
    9/11 Thermate experiments

    Winston Churchhill on why the U.S. should have stayed OUT of World War I

    "I am so %^&*^ sick of this cult of Ron Paul. The Paulites. What is with these %^&*^ people? Why are there so many of them?" YouTube rant by "TheAmazingAtheist"

    "We as a country have lost faith and confidence in freedom." -- Ron Paul

    "It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute." -- Ron Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No need to make it a superhighway.
    Quote Originally Posted by osan View Post
    The only way I see Trump as likely to affect any real change would be through martial law, and that has zero chances of success without strong buy-in by the JCS at the very minimum.

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by BarryDonegan View Post
    I've always believed that if heroin were legalized it would be hard to profit on it due to lawsuits.
    Can I sue my water company if I OD on water?
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
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    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  14. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    Legalizing (decriminalizing) all drugs is the only approach that will be a net benefit to society as a whole...

    The growth of the "Just-Us" department, their courts, prisons and kops of various stripes can all be tied directly to Tricky-Dick's war on drugs.

    Let the addicts flop like fish, load 'em up like cord-wood and be done with 'em........Same for all the billions of dollars worth of government functionaries who justify their existence "bringing them to justice"..........
    Todd, we just can't kill off such a booming business, think of their children.
    Last edited by mrsat_98; 05-10-2016 at 05:47 PM.
    “[T]he enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table.” (Heller, 554 U.S., at ___, 128 S.Ct., at 2822.)

    How long before "going liberal" replaces "going postal"?

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    Can I sue my water company if I OD on water?
    You couldn't only because water in and of itself isn't reasonably easy to kill yourself with if misused (you can, and there have been water intoxication related lawsuit judgments for for example a water drinking contest that a radio station did that ended in fatalities). They would have to provide extremely precise information on how to not overdose and what to do if you do overdose to avoid lawsuits. It would be a very unattractive product to initially buy with all the information on it about how to manage the addiction and keep from killing yourself. The instructions would not be easy to follow for most people. I think in a legal market people would stop using heroin because the companies would have to be so far out in front about the dangers to avoid liability. The overdoses would persist and there would be occasionally judgments that push even more and more responsibilities on the company. It'd probably occur to most companies to produce something else.
    Last edited by BarryDonegan; 05-19-2016 at 10:51 AM.
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  16. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by BarryDonegan View Post
    You couldn't only because water in and of itself isn't reasonably easy to kill yourself with if misused (you can, and there have been water intoxication related lawsuit judgments for for example a water drinking contest that a radio station did that ended in fatalities). They would have to provide extremely precise information on how to not overdose and what to do if you do overdose to avoid lawsuits. It would be a very unattractive product to initially buy with all the information on it about how to manage the addiction and keep from killing yourself. The instructions would not be easy to follow for most people. I think in a legal market people would stop using heroin because the companies would have to be so far out in front about the dangers to avoid liability. The overdoses would persist and there would be occasionally judgments that push even more and more responsibilities on the company. It'd probably occur to most companies to produce something else.
    Most of the ODs on the black market I think are actually due to inconsistent and dirty product. Somebody is used to a product that is weak but laced with something safe for some time - then they get a product that is relatively strong with something dangerous laced in and suddenly they are using way too much.

    I think ODs would be pretty minimal if it were legal, the product would be very consistent and high quality and the stated dosage would be low, like taking a single vicodin or something. I have gotten products that have come from silk road type sites and they are very high quality, and that is the black market, I have to imagine the free market would do an even better job. I don't know how you could hold a company liable if it is as I described, and I think you would still be seeing more overdoses on other products.

    I do agree that heroin use would probably go down if it were legal, I think a lot of people would prefer using opium because it doesn't have a nasty come down.
    Last edited by dannno; 05-19-2016 at 11:41 AM.
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by jaymur View Post
    Not so sure this is really a great thing to get behind.
    Why not?

  18. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    Most of the ODs on the black market I think are actually due to inconsistent and dirty product. Somebody is used to a product that is weak but laced with something safe for some time - then they get a product that is relatively strong with something dangerous laced in and suddenly they are using way too much.

    I think ODs would be pretty minimal if it were legal, the product would be very consistent and high quality and the stated dosage would be low, like taking a single vicodin or something. I have gotten products that have come from silk road type sites and they are very high quality, and that is the black market, I have to imagine the free market would do an even better job. I don't know how you could hold a company liable if it is as I described, and I think you would still be seeing more overdoses on other products.

    I do agree that heroin use would probably go down if it were legal, I think a lot of people would prefer using opium because it doesn't have a nasty come down.
    I hear you there. The main reason people end up on heroin in modern times is because they are on oxys or something and they lose their prescription or can't keep up the high costs of the pharmaceuticals and instead go for heroin on the cheap as their usage rises. Heroin itself would probably not be as cheaply available in the market because the main difference between the pills and heroin is that the pills have been designed in a safer way to take.

    Legalized heroin would have to be exponentially safer or it wouldn't be profitable IMO. It might be that an obscure boutique company or two might provide it in a safer way with a million warning labels and most people would probably just not take it knowing full well even at their safest opiods are about as safe as drinking random chemicals under the sink because of the physical nature of how people become addicted to them.
    Last edited by BarryDonegan; 05-31-2016 at 01:18 PM.
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  20. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by BarryDonegan View Post
    I hear you there. The main reason people end up on heroin in modern times is because they are on oxys or something and they lose their prescription or can't keep up the high costs of the pharmaceuticals and instead go for heroin on the cheap as their usage rises. Heroin itself would probably not be as cheaply available in the market because the main difference between the pills and heroin is that the pills have been designed in a safer way to take.

    Legalized heroin would have to be exponentially safer or it wouldn't be profitable IMO. It might be that an obscure boutique company or two might provide it in a safer way with a million warning labels and most people would probably just not take it knowing full well even at their safest opiods are about as safe as drinking random chemicals under the sink because of the physical nature of how people become addicted to them.
    Pills are anything but "safe" with all the Tylenol added to induce liver failure........

    Be very careful if you or anyone you know is taking any, the opioid won't kill you nearly as quickly as the Tylenol...

  21. #18
    This crap, but not weed. Brilliant.

  22. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by jmdrake View Post
    By Rand pushing this angle rather than the "legalize freedom" approach he's drawing attention to the fact that our corrupt government is simultaneously locking people up for being hooked on heroin while blocking access to medical treatment that could possibly get them off of addiction to heroin. Good job Rand.
    Really a brilliant move. He's great at this stuff.

  23. #20
    Meth is legal. There is a meth analog called Aderall sold as a prescription. Therefore, meth could never be legal as that would hurt big pharma profits.

    Heroin is also legal. Its called oxycodone or OxyContin. Thats right, Rush Limbaugh was a heroin addict LOL. Its also sold as Hydrocodone or Vicodin.

    Even cocaine was legal up until relatively recently under an analog named dipipanone. That was discontinued and I'm unaware of any replacements.

    I'll go out on a limb and say there is a legitimate place in civilized society for meth, heron, and cocaine based on the fact that doctors prescribe their analogs as treatments and I personally know people who have highly beneficial effects as a result of their usage. So, there should be no shame in usage of any of these for the people capable of using them in moderation.
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  24. #21
    But reducing the number of heroin addicts will cut into the CIA's earnings.
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  25. #22
    Sens. Paul, Markey Introduce Legislation to Expand Treatment for Heroin and Prescription Drug Addiction

    TREAT Act would increase access to evidence-based medication-assisted treatment

    05.27.15

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and a bipartisan group of their colleagues introduced new legislation, S.1455, the Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment (TREAT Act) to expand specialized treatment for prescription drug and heroin addiction.

    The legislation would expand the ability of addiction medical specialists and other trained medical professionals to provide life-saving medication-assisted therapies such as buprenorphine (also called Suboxone) for patients battling heroin and prescription drug addiction. Unfortunately, due in part to federal restrictions, of the approximately 2.4 million people dealing with prescription drug and heroin dependency in 2013, only half received specialty treatment for their condition.

    “Heroin addiction is on the rise in Kentucky and throughout the country, and government’s solution of locking up people with addiction is not solving the problem. The TREAT Act will remove a roadblock to getting people the help they need to break the cycle of addition and get on a path to recovery,” said Senator Paul.

    “When effective medication-assisted treatment is made available, people’s lives can be saved,” said Senator Markey. “Treatment for prescription drug and heroin addiction should not be harder to access than the actual drugs destroying lives and communities. The TREAT Act will expand access to medical treatment that works, removing outdated limits on trained health professionals, allowing them to treat more patients and address this opiates crisis. I thank Senator Paul and my Senate colleagues for their partnership as we fight this battle of prescription drug and heroin addiction and reduce the tragic effect of this epidemic.”

    Specifically, the TREAT Act would help increase the number of patients who have access to treatment by allowing substance abuse treatment specialists and certain other trained physicians who are practicing in a team-based facility that has built in quality measures to see a greater number of patients. Physicians under the bill are also required to fully participate in state-based prescription drug monitoring databases to track prescription drug use. The bill would also allow trained nurse practitioners and physician assistants to treat, for the first time, opioid dependent patients with approved medication assisted treatments. Combined with behavioral therapy, effective medication assisted treatment programs for opioid addiction can decrease overdose deaths, be cost-effective, reduce transmissions of HIV and hepatitis C, and reduce other social harms such as criminal activity. While emphasizing addiction medicine expertise and quality, the legislation lifts existing and arbitrary federal restrictions that are non-existent for any other disease and limit access to life saving therapies.

    A copy of the TREAT Act can be found HERE. A one-page summary of the legislation can be found HERE.

    The TREAT Act is co-sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.). A companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), and John Katko (R-N.Y.).
    https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/pre...drug-addiction

  26. #23
    Senators Paul, Hatch, and Markey Call on HHS to Follow Senate Lead in Increasing Access to Opioid Addiction Treatment

    Senators lead bipartisan group of 22 Senators in calling on the Department to raise the cap on prescribing buprenorphine to 500 patients

    06.01.16

    Today, Senators Paul (R-KY), Hatch (R-UT), and Markey (D-MA) led a bipartisan group of 22 Senators in writing to Sylvia Burwell, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to call on HHS to allow for greater access to medication assisted treatment (MAT) in the Department’s proposed rule on the topic published on March 30, 2016.

    The proposed rule on MAT would increase the highest limit on the number of patients waivered practitioners can treat with buprenorphine from 100 patients per practitioner to 200 patients. However, in recognition of the huge disparity that exists between those who can prescribe opioids for treatment of pain and those who can prescribe treatments for opioid use disorders, and the large gap between those with opioid use disorders and those recieve treatment for their illness, the Senate is advancing legislation that would raise this patient cap to 500 patients. The letter sent by the group of Senators today urges HHS to take into account the bipartisan work done by the Senate on this legislation, S. 1455, the Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment (TREAT) Act, when finalizing their proposed rule.

    “Heroin addiction is on the rise in Kentucky and throughout the country, and government’s solution of locking up people with addiction is not solving the problem. Getting people the help they need to break the cycle of addition and on a path to recovery is extremely important,” Sen. Paul said.

    “I'm glad the Department is taking action to expand access to medication assisted treatment under the authority Congress provided through the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000," said Senator Hatch. “However, if we are going to provide patients with the treatments they need to succeed in their battle against heroin and prescription drug abuse, we must open greater access to medication assisted treatment by setting a more appropriate cap on the number of patients to whom an eligible physician can prescribe buprenorphine.”

    “We don’t restrict doctors from prescribing life-saving medication for any other medical condition, so it makes no sense to limit medication-assisted therapies for those suffering from the disease of opioid addiction”, said Senator Markey. “The current artificial caps on treatment not only hurt access, but they also reinforce the stigma that accessing treatment for substance use disorders should be different than for any other chronic illness. I thank the Obama administration for responding to my call to act administratively to address limitations on medication-assisted therapies for opioid addiction, but we must ensure that the final rule addresses this outdated federal restriction in a manner reflects the immense crisis we are currently facing.”

    The letter to HHS is also signed by Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Rand Paul (R-KY), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

    In August 2015, Senators Hatch and Markey led a group of 13 Senators in urging HHS to use the authority granted to the Department under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 to raise the buprenorphine patient cap. In April 2016, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced the TREAT Act, which was introduced by Senators Markey and Paul and cosponsored by Senator Hatch at the HELP Committee markup of the legislation. In addition to raising the maximum cap for physicians from 100 to 500 patients, the TREAT Act also authorizes nurse practitioners and physicians assistants to provide medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders in accordance with state law.
    https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/pre...tion-treatment

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    Pills are anything but "safe" with all the Tylenol added to induce liver failure........

    Be very careful if you or anyone you know is taking any, the opioid won't kill you nearly as quickly as the Tylenol...
    Def. true that the tylenol itself is what's risky on them, but what I mean is that the actual opoid dosage is safer in the pills.
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  29. #25
    Dr. Rand Paul: HHS Rule-Change Victory a “First Step”

    07.06.16

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator and physician Rand Paul applauded the decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement changes called for by Dr. Paul and a bipartisan Senate coalition to increase access to much-needed treatment for those battling an opioid addiction. The Administration announced today that HHS will raise the number of patients to whom a doctor can prescribe buprenorphine, also known as Suboxone, from the current 100-patient barrier to 275 patients.

    “As a physician, I’ve seen firsthand how well-intended but misguided federal interference restrains doctors from providing patients with the help they need. The current patient cap is keeping too many Kentuckians from treatment that could free them from addiction. Today’s rule change is an important first step to unshackling and better empowering physicians to confront the growing epidemic of opioid addiction. Congress should pass the bipartisan TREAT Act to further increase the cap and expand the number of providers who can prescribe these important treatments,” said Dr. Paul.

    “This final regulation is a result of Sen. Paul’s common-sense proposal that passed the Senate Health Committee this spring and should be a great help to Kentuckians and Tennesseans alike working hard to beat addiction and lead healthier lives. I was glad to support Sen. Paul’s proposal in committee—and I look forward to soon getting a result on bicameral legislation to provide substantial support to states and local communities on the front lines of America’s opioid abuse epidemic,” Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said.

    Dr. Paul is the lead Republican sponsor of the TREAT Act, which, along with increasing the patient cap and number of providers, would give states greater flexibility to adjust their state patient caps and require HHS and the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress about the legislation’s effects on treatment and services. Dr. Paul and Senator Edward Markey originally introduced the TREAT Act in 2015. The TREAT Act unanimously passed the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in March.

    When Dr. Paul learned HHS originally intended to only increase the cap to 200 patients, he joined a bipartisan group of senators in urging HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell to extend the cap to 500, the limit included in the TREAT Act.

    Click HERE to read the TREAT Act in its entirety. Top-line bullet points and background information on the TREAT Act can be found below.


    BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE TREAT ACT

    •Expands the maximum allowable patient cap from 100 to 500 maximum patients.
    •Changes the initial (first year) allowable patient load under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) from 30 to 100, and after one year a physician may request to treat up to 500 patients.
    •Allows certain physicians, after one year, to request to treat up to 500 patients. To be eligible:
    •Physicians must be substance abuse treatment specialists, as recognized by specific board or society certifications, or
    •Non-specialist physicians must complete 24 hours of approved training.
    •Physicians must also maintain records about whether they provide counseling services on site or refer patients elsewhere for such services, and how frequently such patients use those services, and the frequency with which patients terminate treatment against medical advice.
    •Provides states the flexibility to set the patient cap for their state at higher or lower than the cap under the CSA (but no lower than 30 patients and no more than 500). -States may also set requirements about the types of facilities or practice settings physicians can use to treat addiction patients, required education, or reporting requirements.
    •Allows nurse practitioners (NPs) and physicians assistants (PAs) to be able to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid addiction for the first time. NPs and PAs would be qualified to treat up to 100 patients if they complete 24 hours of education on the treatment of addiction patients.
    •Requires HHS, after 2 years, and GAO, after 4 years, to issue reports to Congress about the effect of this legislation in terms of availability of treatment, quality of treatment programs, integration with other health care services, diversion, state-level policies, and use of nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants to provide this treatment.
    https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/pre...y-a-first-step
    Last edited by jct74; 07-16-2016 at 01:31 PM.

  30. #26
    Dr. Rand Paul Urges Senate to Expand Access to Opioid-Addiction Treatment

    07.12.16

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator and physician Rand Paul called on the U.S. Senate to help more Kentuckians and other Americans struggling with opioid addiction find healing by passing the conference report on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved CARA by a wide bipartisan majority of 407-5, with the legislation containing several proposals that Dr. Paul has long been fighting for as lead Republican sponsor of the TREAT Act.

    “Counterproductive rules decreed by Washington, D.C. prevent far too many of those battling opioid addiction from obtaining proper treatment,” said Dr. Paul. “Kentuckians have been especially hit hard by this epidemic, and I’m pleased to see Congress finally take many of the common-sense steps Senator Markey and I have been advocating for through the TREAT Act to provide help to those fighting for their lives. I urge the Senate to follow the House’s lead by passing CARA right away.”

    “I thank Senator Paul for his partnership in this effort,” said Senator Markey, “and I thank Senators Murray and Alexander, and Reps. Pallone and Upton who helped to get these provisions included in the final legislation. I will continue to work to pass legislation that would make nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other trained medical professionals a permanent part of the opioid treatment workforce.”

    Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would extend the cap on the number of patients to whom a doctor can prescribe buprenorphine, a key component in Suboxone, from the current 100-patient barrier to 275 patients. Dr. Paul had earlier joined a bipartisan group of senators in asking HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell to raise the cap to the 500-patient level contained in the TREAT Act after learning HHS was planning to extend the cap to only 200 patients.

    Now, the CARA conference report would further implement the principles contained in TREAT by expanding the number of providers who can administer treatment, allowing HHS Secretary Burwell to authorize in-office treatment that excludes patients from the cap, and giving states greater flexibility in adjusting their own patient caps.

    Below is a summary of TREAT Act provisions included in the CARA conference report:

    o Allows nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to prescribe buprenorphine to treat patients with opioid addiction for the first time, through 2021, following completion of addiction-treatment education.

    o Seeks to provide patients with the opportunity to access the full range of available treatment options for their addiction treatment by ensuring providers are educated in addiction medicine and have the capacity to provide, either directly or by referral, all drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of opioid use disorder and any necessary counseling or ancillary services.

    o Allows the Secretary to exclude patients from the cap if they are given long-acting versions of buprenorphine that are administered in a physician’s office and not distributed to the patient for at-home use, therefore putting them at a low risk for diversion.

    o Grants states the flexibility to adjust their total cap numbers within the parameters set in federal law.
    https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/pre...tion-treatment

  31. #27
    Senator Paul Secures Expansion of Access to Opioid-Addiction Treatment

    07.13.16

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator and physician Rand Paul praised Senate passage today of the conference report on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), legislation that includes several provisions Dr. Paul has championed to expand access to treatment for those battling opioid addiction. The Senate approved CARA by a vote of 92-2, after the U.S. House of Representatives voted 407-5 to pass the legislation on Friday.

    “In a time of deep partisan division, I applaud the U.S. Senate for coming together to do the right thing by ensuring Kentucky families and other Americans devastated by opioid addiction receive the treatment they need to heal,” said Dr. Paul. “As the lead Republican sponsor of the TREAT Act, I have worked with Senator Markey and a bipartisan coalition to speak up for those denied help by arbitrary federal interference. Today’s victory is an encouraging sign of what we can accomplish when we decide to get Washington out of the American people’s way. I urge the President to quickly sign the bill into law.”

    Today’s passage marks the second major step in a week toward unshackling doctors to help more patients break free of their opioid addiction. Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would extend the cap on the number of patients to whom a doctor can prescribe buprenorphine, a key component in Suboxone, from the current 100-patient barrier to 275 patients. Dr. Paul had earlier joined a bipartisan group of senators in asking HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell to raise the cap to the 500-patient level contained in the TREAT Act after learning HHS was planning to extend the cap to only 200 patients.

    Now, the CARA conference report would further implement the principles contained in TREAT by expanding the number of providers who can administer treatment, allowing HHS Secretary Burwell to authorize in-office treatment that excludes patients from the cap, and giving states greater flexibility in adjusting their own patient caps.

    Below is a summary of TREAT Act provisions included in the CARA conference report:

    o Allows nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to prescribe buprenorphine to treat patients with opioid addiction for the first time, through 2021, following completion of addiction-treatment education.

    o Seeks to provide patients with the opportunity to access the full range of available treatment options for their addiction treatment by ensuring providers are educated in addiction medicine and have the capacity to provide, either directly or by referral, all drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of opioid use disorder and any necessary counseling or ancillary services.

    o Allows the Secretary to exclude patients from the cap if they are given long-acting versions of buprenorphine that are administered in a physician’s office and not distributed to the patient for at-home use, therefore putting them at a low risk for diversion.

    o Grants states the flexibility to adjust their total cap numbers within the parameters set in federal law.
    https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/pre...tion-treatment

  32. #28
    I disagree. It's just replacing one drug with another. The dealers and junkies around here sell suboxone.



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