I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2872 
To amend the Controlled Substances Act to modernize the treatment of 
opioid addiction, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 24, 2015 
Mr. BUCSHON (for himself and Mr. WOMACK) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Controlled Substances Act to modernize the 
treatment of opioid addiction, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Opioid Addiction 
Treatment Modernization Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that opioid addiction has become 
a public health epidemic that must be addressed by in-
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creasing awareness and access to all treatment options for 
opioid addiction, overdose reversal, and relapse prevention. 
SEC. 3. OPIOID ADDICTION TREATMENT MODERNIZATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 303(g) of the Controlled 
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(g)) is amended— 
(1) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) The standards under paragraph (1)(A) (for de-
termining whether a practitioner is qualified to engage in 
the treatment with respect to which registration is sought) 
shall include a requirement for completion, every 2 years, 
of training— 
‘‘(A) provided (through classroom situations, 
seminars at professional society meetings, electronic 
communications, or otherwise) by an organization 
such as the American Society of Addiction Medicine, 
the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, the 
American Medical Association, the American Osteo-
pathic Association, the American Psychiatric Asso-
ciation, the American Association for the Treatment 
of Opioid Dependence, the National Council for Be-
havioral Health, or any other organization that the 
Secretary determines is appropriate; and 
‘‘(B) addressing— 
‘‘(i) opioid detoxification; 
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‘‘(ii) appropriate clinical use of all drugs 
approved by the Food and Drug Administration 
for the treatment of opioid addiction; 
‘‘(iii) the need for initial and periodic as-
sessments of each patient; 
‘‘(iv) the development of an individualized 
treatment plan for each patient; and 
‘‘(v) the importance of providing overdose 
reversal and relapse prevention, and appro-
priate counseling and other services.’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ‘‘and an-
nually thereafter,’’ after ‘‘before the initial dis-
pensing of narcotic drugs in schedule III, IV, or V 
or combinations of such drugs to patients for main-
tenance or detoxification treatment,’’; 
(3) by amending paragraph (2)(B)(ii) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(ii) With respect to patients to whom the prac-
titioner will provide such drugs or combinations of 
drugs, the practitioner has the capacity to provide 
directly or by referral— 
‘‘(I) all drugs approved by the Food and 
Drug Administration for the treatment of 
opioid addiction, including, as available, opioid 
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maintenance, detoxification, and overdose rever-
sal and relapse prevention; and 
‘‘(II) appropriate counseling and ancillary 
services.’’; 
(4) by redesignating clause (iii) of paragraph 
(2)(B) as clause (iv); 
(5) after paragraph (2)(B)(ii), by inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(iii) The practitioner maintains a diversion 
control plan that contains specific measures to re-
duce the likelihood of the diversion of controlled sub-
stances prescribed by the practitioner for the treat-
ment of opioid addiction.’’; 
(6) by amending paragraph (2)(G)(ii) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(ii) The term ‘qualifying physician’ means 
a physician who meets the following: 
‘‘(I) The physician is licensed under 
State law. 
‘‘(II) The physician meets one or 
more of the following conditions: 
‘‘(aa) The physician holds a sub-
specialty board certification in addic-
tion psychiatry from the American 
Board of Medical Specialties. 
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‘‘(bb) The physician holds an ad-
diction certification from the Amer-
ican Society of Addiction Medicine. 
‘‘(cc) The physician holds a sub-
specialty board certification in addic-
tion medicine from the American Os-
teopathic Association. 
‘‘(dd) The physician has partici-
pated as an investigator in one or 
more clinical trials leading to the ap-
proval of a narcotic drug in schedule 
III, IV, or V for maintenance or de-
toxification treatment or the approval 
of a drug for the treatment of opioid 
addiction, as demonstrated by a state-
ment submitted to the Secretary by 
the sponsor of such approved drug. 
‘‘(ee) The physician has such 
other training or experience as the 
State medical licensing board (of the 
State in which the physician will pro-
vide maintenance or detoxification 
treatment) considers to demonstrate 
the ability of the physician to treat 
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and manage opiate-dependent pa-
tients. 
‘‘(ff) The physician has such 
other training or experience as the 
Secretary considers to demonstrate 
the ability of the physician to treat 
and manage opiate-dependent pa-
tients. Any criteria of the Secretary 
under this item shall be established by 
regulation. Any such criteria are ef-
fective only for 3 years after the date 
on which the criteria are promulgated, 
but may be extended for such addi-
tional discrete 3-year periods as the 
Secretary considers appropriate for 
purposes of this item. Such an exten-
sion of criteria may only be effec-
tuated through a statement published 
in the Federal Register by the Sec-
retary during the 30-day period pre-
ceding the end of the 3-year period in-
volved. 
‘‘(iii) The physician completes, with respect 
to the treatment and management of opiate-de-
pendent patients, not less than 8 hours of train-
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ing described in paragraph (3) not less fre-
quently than every 2 years. 
‘‘(iv) The physician obtains in writing from 
each patient a signed acknowledgment that the 
patient— 
‘‘(I) will be subject to medication ad-
herence and substance use monitoring; 
‘‘(II) understands available treatment 
options, including drugs approved by the 
Food and Drug Administration for the 
treatment of opioid addiction and their po-
tential risks and benefits; and 
‘‘(III) has an individualized treatment 
plan.’’; and 
(7) by amending paragraph (2)(H)(ii) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(ii) Not later than one year after the date of 
enactment of the Opioid Addiction Treatment Mod-
ernization Act, the Secretary shall update the treat-
ment improvement protocol containing best practice 
guidelines for the treatment of opiate-dependent pa-
tients. The Secretary shall update such protocol in 
consultation with the Director of the National Insti-
tute on Drug Abuse, the Administrator of the Drug 
Enforcement Administration, the Commissioner of 
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Food and Drugs, the Administrator of the Sub-
stance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminis-
tration, and other substance abuse disorder profes-
sionals. Updates to the protocol shall be guided by 
science.’’. 
(b) INSPECTION
AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of 
Health and Human Services or the Attorney General of 
the United States may inspect persons that are registered 
under section 303(g) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 
U.S.C. 823(g)) to ensure compliance with the require-
ments in this Act (and the amendments made by this Act) 
with respect to which noncompliance may result in a rev-
ocation or suspension of the practitioner’s registration. 
(c) CERTIFICATION
OF
COMPLIANCE.—Not later 
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, all 
practitioners who, as of such date of enactment, are per-
mitted to dispense narcotic drugs to individuals (for main-
tenance treatment or detoxification treatment) pursuant 
to paragraph (1) or (2) of section 303(g) of the Controlled 
Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 823(g)) shall submit a certifi-
cation to the Secretary of Health and Human Services of 
compliance with the provisions of such section 303(g), as 
amended by this Act. 
(d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years 
thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall— 
(A) perform a thorough review of the pro-
vision of opioid addiction treatment services in 
the United States; and 
(B) submit a report to the Congress on the 
findings and conclusions of such review. 
(2) CONTENTS.—Each report under paragraph 
(1) shall include— 
(A) an assessment of compliance with the 
requirements of section 303(g) of the Con-
trolled Substances Act, as amended by this Act; 
(B) a description of the measures taken by 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
ensure such compliance; and 
(C) an assessment of— 
(i) whether the full range of science- 
and evidence-based treatment options for 
opioid addiction are fully integrated into 
treatment; and 
(ii) the circumstances surrounding 
medication diversion and misuse. 
Æ 
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