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S. 4941Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 of 2026

Sponsored by Edward J. MarkeySen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA)
Introduced June 24, 2026

AI-Generated Summary

Updated July 7, 2026 at 4:53 AM UTC

The Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 of 2026 expands access to methadone for opioid use disorder by letting qualified physicians and other approved practitioners prescribe the drug for patients to pick up at pharmacies. It removes many of the current program‑specific requirements, mandates electronic prescribing of liquid or dispersible‑tablet methadone, and requires informed consent and reporting. The changes aim to make treatment more convenient while keeping oversight through registration, state‑level revocation authority, and annual DEA reporting.

Key Provisions

  • Allows qualified doctors (addiction‑medicine physicians, addiction psychiatrists, or others approved by the Secretary) to be registered to prescribe methadone for opioid use disorder that can be dispensed directly by pharmacies.
  • Waives the current requirements that normally apply to methadone treatment programs, letting these prescriptions be filled in liquid or dispersible‑tablet form and requiring only electronic prescribing.
  • Pharmacies do not need a separate federal registration to dispense the prescribed methadone; they can provide it alongside any existing treatment program the patient uses.
  • Prescribers must obtain and document informed consent, including a notice about different confidentiality rules when methadone comes from a pharmacy rather than a treatment program.
  • Telemedicine can be used for both prescribing and providing maintenance or detoxification treatment under this model.
  • The Attorney General can stop or revoke a practitioner’s registration in a state if the state requests it, and can deny pending applications.
  • The DEA must report to Congress each year on the number of registered prescribers, states that have requested revocations, any revocations issued, and the number of pharmacies ordering methadone formulations.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action
SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

June 24, 2026

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

June 24, 2026

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

June 24, 2026

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued June 24, 2026

II

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 4941

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 24, 2026

Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Paul, Ms. Warren, Ms. Hassan, Ms. Duckworth, and Mr. Booker) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To expand access to methadone through alternative care models using pharmacies.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 of 2026.

2.

Expansion of methadone for opioid use disorder through prescribing and pharmacies

Section 303(h) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(h)) is amended—

(1)

in paragraph (2)—

(A)

by striking (A) and inserting (i); and

(B)

by striking (B) and inserting (ii);

(2)

by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) as subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), respectively;

(3)

by striking (h) Practitioners and inserting (h)(1) Practitioners; and

(4)

by adding at the end the following:

(2)
(A)

The requirements of paragraph (1) applicable to methadone medication for opioid use disorder are waived, and the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary, shall separately register practitioners described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph to prescribe methadone for opioid use disorder to be dispensed through a pharmacy to individuals for their own supervised or unsupervised use.

(B)

Practitioners described in this subparagraph are persons who—

(i)

are licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted, by the United States or the jurisdiction in which they practice, to prescribe controlled substances in the course of professional practice; and

(ii)

are—

(I)

addiction medicine physicians or addiction psychiatrists who hold a subspecialty board certification in addiction medicine from the American Board of Preventive Medicine, a board certification in addiction medicine from the American Board of Addiction Medicine, a subspecialty board certification in addiction psychiatry from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, or a subspecialty board certification in addiction medicine from the American Osteopathic Association; or

(II)

otherwise determined by the Secretary, under standards established by the Secretary, to be qualified to prescribe methadone for opioid use disorder.

(C)

The prescribing of methadone pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be—

(i)

exclusively by electronic prescribing and dispensed to the individual treated pursuant to subparagraph (A);

(ii)

in compliance with applicable Federal and State law respecting the quantities of methadone for opioid use disorder that may be dispensed to individuals pursuant to subparagraph (A); and

(iii)

for a liquid or dispersible tablet formulation.

(D)

The dispensing of methadone to an individual pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be in addition to the other care that the individual continues to have access to through an opioid use disorder treatment program.

(E)

Practitioners registered pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall—

(i)

ensure and document, with respect to each individual treated pursuant to subparagraph (A), informed consent to treatment; and

(ii)

include in such informed consent, specific informed consent regarding differences in confidentiality protections applicable when dispensing through an opioid treatment program versus dispensing through a pharmacy pursuant to subparagraph (A).

(F)

At the request of a State, the Attorney General shall—

(i)

cease registering persons in the State pursuant to subparagraph (A);

(ii)

revoke any such registration in effect for a person in the State pursuant to section 304; and

(iii)

deny any pending application for such registration from a practitioner in the State pursuant to section 304.

(G)

Maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment provided pursuant to subparagraph (A) may be provided through the practice of telemedicine.

(H)

A pharmacy shall not be required to obtain a separate registration to dispense methadone medication for opioid use disorder to an individual who has been prescribed that medication by a practitioner registered pursuant to subparagraph (A).

(3)

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this paragraph, and annually thereafter, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration shall submit to Congress a report that includes, for the reporting period—

(A)

the number of practitioners registered pursuant to paragraph (2)(A) in each State;

(B)

a list of States for which the Attorney General received a request pursuant to paragraph (2)(F);

(C)

the number of revocations or suspensions of registration issued pursuant to section 304, based on violations related to the prescribing of methadone for opioid use disorder by practitioners who are registered pursuant to paragraph (2)(A); and

(D)

the number of pharmacies that ordered methadone in liquid or dispersible tablet formulations.

.

3.

Effective date

This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.