Medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder are the most effective, potentially lifesaving, treatment for opioid addiction.

Despite their effectiveness, the federal government requires that health care providers obtain special permission to prescribe such medications and limits the number of patients who can fill these prescriptions.

No other medication requires health care providers to obtain special permission or has restrictions on the number of patients providers can treat.This discrepancy is driven by stigma, rather than science, and discriminates against patients with substance use disorder. We need to raise this issue with our legislators now.

People and families struggling with substance use and addiction encounter a variety of systemic challenges throughout their journey, which is why we created a new section of our website called “Help Us Change the Story of Addiction.” The site features personal stories that bring these structural barriers to life, including Stephen Kavalkovich’s story about his ability to access medications to treat opioid use disorder. Each story offers visitors an opportunity to advocate for policy change by signing an action alert or by sharing similar stories from their own journey.

Let’s change the story of addiction today.