SAMHSA Extends Methadone Take-Home Flexibilities for One Year, Working Toward Permanent Solution

SAMHSA has announced that, effective upon the eventual expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, methadone take-home flexibilities will be extended for one year, a continuation of the take-home medication flexibilities that SAMHSA put in place in March 2020 and in keeping with newly announced Overdose Prevention Strategy. SAMHSA is also considering mechanisms to make this flexibility permanent. Preliminary studies show that nearly two years after the exemption was first granted, stakeholders report increased engagement with treatment, improved patient satisfaction, and very few incidents of misuse or diversion of medication. The flexibility promotes individualized, recovery-oriented care by allowing greater access for people who reside farther away from an OTP location or who lack reliable transportation.