Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 9, 2025

A Procedure to Study the Effect of Prolonged Food Restriction on Heroin Seeking in Abstinent Rats
Published on: November 11, 2013
Restrictive State Opioid Treatment Program Regulations Constrain Local Access To Methadone Maintenance Treatment.
J Travis Donahoe1, Noa Krawczyk2, Julie M Donohue3
1J. Travis Donahoe (tdonahoe@pitt.edu), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
State regulations for opioid treatment programs significantly impact methadone access. Less restrictive states show double the opioid treatment program density and methadone shipments, suggesting policy changes can improve access.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Services Research
- Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Background:
- State regulations for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) vary greatly in restrictiveness.
- The impact of these varying regulations on geographic access to methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how state regulations governing OTPs influence geographic access to MMT.
- To quantify the relationship between regulatory restrictiveness and OTP density/methadone distribution.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of comprehensive data on methadone shipments to OTPs nationwide in 2019.
- Comparison of OTP density and methadone shipments in ZIP codes bordering states with differing OTP regulatory restrictiveness.
Main Results:
- ZIP codes in states with less restrictive OTP regulations had over twice the density of OTPs and methadone shipments compared to similar ZIP codes in highly restrictive states.
- Geographic access to MMT is demonstrably constrained by restrictive state-level OTP regulations.
Conclusions:
- Restrictive state OTP regulations create significant barriers to geographic access to essential MMT services.
- Easing state-level restrictions on OTPs presents a viable and effective strategy for expanding access to MMT for individuals with OUD.
More Related Videos
10:17High-throughput and Comprehensive Drug Surveillance Using Multisegment Injection-Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry
Published on: April 23, 2019
09:54Combining Laser Capture Microdissection and Microfluidic qPCR to Analyze Transcriptional Profiles of Single Cells: A Systems Biology Approach to Opioid Dependence
Published on: March 8, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
Analgesia and Pain Management
Opioid Receptors: Overview
Opioid Analgesics: Morphine and Other Natural Cogeners
Drug Control Governance: Regulatory Bodies and Their Impact
Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...