DEA Changes Regulation on Opioid Treatment Medication

On Tuesday, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced it has changed a regulation that will let more healthcare professionals prescribe medication used to treat opioid addiction. The decision is meant to open up access to medication in the rural U.S. where there are fewer doctors. According to the DEA, a 2017 study from the National Rural Health Association says that 53 percent of rural U.S. counties had no physician able to prescribe medication to those addicted to opioids.