The federal government has announced the first major update to methadone treatment regulations for over two decades. The government hopes the updates will help patients access treatment and avoid stigmatization for their treatment. It will also expand the ability to take medication home and the dosage offered to combat high-strength opioids such as fentanyl.

Lev Facher is the addiction reporter for Here & Now‘s editorial partner STAT News, the health and medicine publication. He joins Robin Young to discuss the new regulations.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.