Nation’s Opioid Addiction Treatment System During COVID-19 Needs Reform

Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. This often repeated and important public health messaging is critically important as the nation seeks to contain COVID-19.

Recently, CDC officials encouraged people to have a 2-week stock of their medications. Unfortunately, for people taking medications for opioid use disorder, this simply may not be possible — without critical federal intervention.

For people who use drugs or are in treatment for an opioid use disorder, the threat posed by COVID-19 may seem remote compared to the immediate risk of overdose, painful drug withdrawal, or the risk of HIV, viral hepatitis, or abscesses that can result from a disruption in harm reduction or effective treatment services.

Read the op-ed here.