The DEA Is Knocking at Your Door . . . Are You Prepared? – Diagnosing Health Care
If Cannabis Is Reclassified, What Will Happen to the Marketplace? – Diagnosing Health Care
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: What’s Next for Schedule III Marijuana
Podcast - DEA Plants the Seed for Rescheduling Marijuana: What's Next?
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Special Edition | Episode 36 - Rolling Change: The DEA Turns Over a New Leaf on Marijuana Scheduling
Podcast: The End of the Public Health Emergency – What's to Come? – Diagnosing Health Care
Minor Cannabinoids: Exploring the Science, Legality, & Opportunities
Podcast: Non-binding Guidance: FDA’s Regulation of Products Containing CBD
A Moment of Simple Justice - Snitching Ain't Easy
Did you know that the United States currently has over 2 million Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registrants engaging in activities with controlled substances? Whether you’re a student in residency, a healthcare...more
On February 2, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a Final Rule that expands access to medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) via telehealth modalities and “take-home” doses....more
Kratom, a natural substance derived from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, has recently gained notoriety for its potential dangers. While proponents cite its therapeutic benefits, concerns have surged about its...more
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the full text of its letter (HHS Letter) to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), recommending marijuana rescheduling from Schedule I to Schedule III....more
Xylazine is a non-scheduled, non-opioid sedative/analgesic medication that is widely used in veterinary medicine. Xylazine was first produced by Bayer Pharmaceuticals in 1962, but investigations for use in humans were not...more
Below is Alston & Bird’s Health Care Week in Review, which provides a synopsis of the latest news in health care regulations, notices, and guidance; federal legislation and congressional committee action; reports, studies,...more
Note From the Editors - This edition of Vital Signs is filled with digital health developments from around the world. In Industry Insights, you'll see and hear from Alexis Gilroy and Claire Castles, each in a short video...more
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) are extending telehealth flexibilities that allow providers to prescribe controlled substances. While the...more
Medicare telehealth post-Public Health Emergency (PHE): With the COVID-19 PHE concluding on May 11, 2023, many of the telehealth flexibilities the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented during the PHE will...more
The Big Picture - On February 24, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), issued two proposed rules that address the prescribing of controlled...more
On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (Public Law No. 117-328) (the “Legislation”) was signed into law, which, under Section 1262 of the Legislation, contains the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment...more
On January 12, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed in a letter to registrants that the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (P.L. 117-328) (the Act), which was signed into law on December 29, 2022,...more
Overall, healthcare professionals are 10-15% more likely to develop substance abuse issues than the general population.[1] As addiction to prescription medication has reached nation-wide epidemic proportions, it has become a...more
Starting January 1, 2023, Medicare will cover telehealth-based treatment services delivered by federally-accredited opioid treatment programs (OTPs), commonly referred to as “methadone clinics.” This new reimbursement is...more
To protect patients seeking addiction treatment, the federal government passed strict regulations limiting the disclosure of substance abuse patient records. Substance abuse treatment programs must not only comply with the...more
The head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Robert Califf, announced on August 30, 2022 that, in addition to an extensive review of opioid regulations, the agency is launching a framework aimed at preventing...more
On June 22, 2022, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) issued guidance advocating for Congress and federal agencies to make permanent certain telehealth access measures for people struggling with...more
Over the last two years, behavioral health (BH) has been one of the biggest growth areas in the health care ecosystem, fueled by the Public Health Emergency (PHE) but in many ways an ignored, overlooked, understaffed, and...more
The Justice Department handed Walmart a huge slap in the face last year with the filing of a comprehensive civil case alleging that Walmart knowingly distributed large quantities of opioids in disregard of the law that fueled...more
It has been a long time coming. On November 2, 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released its long-awaited proposed rule to revise the regulations related to suspicious orders of controlled substances. The...more
The DEA struggles to balance the pressing need to provide pain relief for those suffering from the novel coronavirus with the ongoing effort to reduce the opioid epidemic in the United States. I. Overview on the DEA and the...more
Department of Justice Announces $8.3 Billion Settlement with Opioid Manufacturer Purdue Pharma and Members of the Sackler Family - On October 21, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it reached a global resolution...more
A bipartisan pair of US senators have proposed legislation that would allow certain controlled substances to be prescribed via an initial telehealth encounter and—under certain conditions—expand Medicare reimbursement of...more
...Our prior article discussed federal law barriers to entry for the use of telehealth in substance use disorder (SUD), and specifically, opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, and highlighted notable opportunities to use...more
...As COVID-19 cases spread across the U.S., another public health issue continues to escalate: the rise of opioid-related overdose deaths. For patients with a substance use disorder (SUD), the pandemic has increased feelings...more