II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2244 

To amend the Controlled Substances Act to allow community addiction treatment facilities and community mental health facilities to register to 

dispense controlled substances through the practice of telemedicine, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 24, 2019 

Mr. ROBERTS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Controlled Substances Act to allow community 

addiction treatment facilities and community mental 

health facilities to register to dispense controlled substances through the practice of telemedicine, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Modernizing Eligible 

5 Treatment centers for Healing Addiction Act of 2019’’ or 

6 the ‘‘METH Addiction Act’’. 


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•S 2244 IS

1 SEC. 2. REGISTRATION OF COMMUNITY ADDICTION TREAT2 MENT FACILITIES AND COMMUNITY MENTAL 

3 HEALTH FACILITIES. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 102 of the Controlled 

5 Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802) is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (54)(A), by striking clause (i) 

7 and inserting the following: 

8 ‘‘(i) while the patient is being treated by, 

9 and physically located in— 

10 ‘‘(I) a hospital or clinic registered 

11 under section 303(f); or 

12 ‘‘(II) a community addiction treat13 ment facility or community mental health 

14 facility registered under section 303(l); 

15 and’’; 

16 (2) by redesignating paragraph (58) as para17 graph (59); 

18 (3) by redesignating the second paragraph des19 ignated as paragraph (57) as paragraph (58); 

20 (4) by moving paragraphs (57), (58) (as so re21 designated), and (59) (as so redesignated) 2 ems to 

22 the left; and 

23 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(60) The term ‘community addiction treatment fa25 cility’ means an addiction treatment facility that, for the 

26 purpose of operating as an addiction treatment facility, 


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1 is licensed, operated, authorized, or otherwise recognized 

2 by a State government. 

3 ‘‘(61) The term ‘community mental health facility’ 

4 means a mental health facility that, for the purpose of 

5 operating as a mental health facility, is licensed, operated, 

6 authorized, or otherwise recognized by a State govern7 ment.’’. 

8 (b) REGISTRATION.—Section 303 of the Controlled 

9 Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823) is amended by adding at 

10 the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(l) COMMUNITY ADDICTION TREATMENT FACILI12 TIES AND COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES.— 

13 ‘‘(1) REGISTRATION.—The Attorney General 

14 may register community addiction treatment facili15 ties and community mental health facilities to ad16 minister controlled substances through the practice 

17 of telemedicine. 

18 ‘‘(2) DENIAL OF APPLICATIONS.—The Attorney 

19 General may deny an application for registration 

20 under paragraph (1) if the Attorney General deter21 mines that the registration would be inconsistent 

22 with the public interest after considering— 

23 ‘‘(A) any recommendation by the licensing 

24 board or professional disciplinary authority of 

25 the State in which the applicant is located; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the experience of the applicant in 

2 treating patients; 

3 ‘‘(C) any conviction of an employee of the 

4 applicant under Federal or State law relating to 

5 treatment of patients; 

6 ‘‘(D) the compliance of the applicant with 

7 applicable Federal, State, or local laws relating 

8 to treatment of patients; and 

9 ‘‘(E) any other conduct by the applicant 

10 that may threaten the health and safety of the 

11 public.’’. 

12 (c) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—Not later than 180 

13 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney 

14 General shall notify Congress of the plan of the Depart15 ment of Justice to implement the amendments made by 

16 this Act. 

17 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

18 this Act shall take effect on the date that is 180 days 

19 after the date on which the Attorney General notifies Con20 gress under subsection (c). 

Æ 


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