Sen. Markey and Sen. Paul Push to Let Local Pharmacies Dispense Methadone for Addiction
This bill was recently introduced in the Senate and is currently being reviewed by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. It is in the early stages of the legislative process and is considered active. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.
The bill has strong bipartisan support from both liberal and conservative senators, but it faces potential opposition from existing clinic owners and concerns about drug safety.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
People with past drug-related criminal records often struggle to access consistent addiction treatment because of clinic requirements or stigma. Making methadone available through ordinary pharmacies could reduce barriers and support recovery, which research links to lower reoffending, though this effect is not directly stated in the bill.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Sens. Edward Markey and Rand Paul reintroduced the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 on June 25, 2026. The bill would allow board-certified addiction medicine physicians to prescribe methadone for pharmacy pickup, expanding access beyond specialized clinics.
A bipartisan bill in Congress would end the requirement that methadone for opioid use disorder be dispensed only through specialty clinics. The legislation enables office-based prescribing and pharmacy dispensing, aiming to remove barriers in rural and underserved areas.
On June 25, Senators Ed Markey and Rand Paul reintroduced the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0. The bill would, for the first time since 1974, let board-certified addiction physicians prescribe methadone directly and let pharmacies dispense it.
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 of 2026
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