Overdose Prevention Initiative

New today! Our free U.S. Federal Advocacy Action Guide. Built for #overdose prevention and broad public health advocates who need to understand the functions and workings of our federal legislative system. Grab it on HATCH, use it to train your team, then share it!

Our current drug scheduling system in the U.S. does little to deter drug abuse or overdose rates, but instead hinders research and unfairly criminalizes communities. We need to invest in actual solutions like prevention, treatment, and recovery.

A first external evaluation of Epic's AI Opioid Risk Score — used across 190M+ records — found it identified only 8% of patients who went on to overdose or receive an OUD diagnosis. Researchers are calling for external validation before widespread deployment of clinical AI tools.

Overdose deaths dropped 27% in 2024 — the biggest decline in U.S. history. #Medicaid paid for the treatment that did that. Today the White House called Medicaid a "low confidence" program. Those two things cannot both be true.

Raising MOUD coverage to 25% of people who need it prevents ~3,500 deaths per year. Universal coverage: 41,000. That's the gap. Rolling back access doesn't close it — it widens it. #OverdosePrevention #MOUD

The number that should be in this debate: in the two weeks after someone leaves jail without medication, they are 40x more likely to die from overdose. MOUD cuts that risk by 80%. We have the tool. Fewer than 1 in 5 people who need it can get it.

What actually happened under expanded access: ER visits dropped. Retention went up. One PA clinic went from 72.9% to 84.5% retention. The Lancet Public Health synthesis: no significant increase in methadone overdoses. The diversion fears didn't materialize.

Today, Congress cited a 2020 methadone death spike to restrict treatment. CDC researchers tested that exact claim and the trend didn't change after take-home rules relaxed. The spike was fentanyl. The % of deaths involving methadone actually fell. The data doesn't support this.

Today's hearing made one thing clear: We are at a turning point on the overdose crisis. The progress is real. And it is fragile. Our coalition of 12 organizations is calling on Congress to protect it. Oppose H.R. 5629 and H.R. 5630. Advance what works. tinyurl.com/38ekjuuu

The argument for restricting buprenorphine access: diversion. Only 7.1% of non-clinical bup use is for enjoyment. The majority is people managing pain or withdrawal — people who can't access a prescription. That's an access crisis, not diversion. tinyurl.com/4nh5jn4t

"Unintended consequences aren't unintended if they are predictable and you do it anyways." — Dr. @nabarund, UNC, MacArthur Fellow, testifying today before @HouseCommerce The evidence on H.R. 5629 is clear. The harm is foreseeable.

"We are putting forth bills that will make it even harder for people struggling with OUD to access treatment." — Ranking Member @FrankPallone at today's @HouseCommerce hearing This is exactly what our coalition warned. Read our joint statement → tinyurl.com/38ekjuuu

"Addiction is a disease. We don't send people to jail for getting diabetes or cancer — we help them." — Rep. @DeGette5280 at today's @HouseCommerce hearing on drug policy Treatment is healthcare. Full stop. #OpioidCrisis #MOUD #RecoveryAdvocacy

"Only about a quarter of people who can benefit from treatment with medications are able to access it." — Dr. @YngvildOlsen, former SAMHSA Director, testifying today before @HouseCommerce H.R. 5629 would make that number worse.

H.R. 5629 would eliminate expanded methadone take-home doses and telehealth treatment access. These flexibilities were launched under the first Trump administration. Adopted by 43 states. Never linked to increased harm.

Overdose deaths are down 40% from peak. 28 consecutive months of decline. Today Congress considers legislation that could reverse it. We're watching. 👇 energycommerce.house.gov/posts/chairmen…

4.8 million people had opioid use disorder in 2024, but only 17% received medication treatment. Congress should be closing that gap, not widening it. "It has a cost that is measured in care that does not get delivered." tinyurl.com/2x3pd7nv

New @JAMANetworkOpen research in the fentanyl era found methadone was linked to slightly better retention than slow-release oral morphine, while mortality risk was similar. Access matters, but retention support is what helps keep people alive. tinyurl.com/4uurevps

Reentry is a health care moment, not just a release date. WI’s Senate passed a bill for prerelease coverage for incarcerated people, supporting continuity of care, reducing overdose risk, and making transition back to the community safer. @SenJesseJames tinyurl.com/yaevhrxe

Too much overdose research starts with what is failing. @VCU researchers are flipping the script by studying the communities doing better than expected and turning those lessons into a roadmap for action. Find what works, then help others use it. tinyurl.com/4zcvze7a

H.R. 5629 would undo flexibility rules that have been in place since 2020, studied extensively, and linked to the largest drop in overdose deaths in modern history. The evidence supports keeping them. Congress is deciding whether that matters. tinyurl.com/4hudbmpv