Recently, journalists have targeted Portland, OR as the exemplar for an emergent debate: as the addiction crisis rages on, are policies that decriminalize low-level drug crimes helping or hurting?

I’ve been a nurse in Ohio for three decades and, for the past ten years, I’ve been focused on Opioid Use Disorder patients. I have never seen a more effective model than the collaborative, whole-patient approach at Boulder Care.

Telehealth treatment for opioid addiction is working. Pandemic flexibilities helped Americans access life-saving medications like buprenorphine without increasing misuse. So why are we going backward? The DEA’s newly proposed “guardrails” are more aptly “roadblocks” for addiction patients and providers alike.

The DEA announced a proposal for new rules for prescribing controlled substances - including buprenorphine - that could impact telehealth patients and add a single in-person requirement. Boulder is prepared to help patients navigate this change and fight back to make treatment easy and accessible.

The COVID-era PHE made SUD care accessible in a profound new way. But that could all change once the PHE expires. Boulder has been preparing to ensure continuity of care for our current and future patients and is actively advocating for better regulations to help all people in need of addiction care.

Ben MacLean, Boulder's General Counsel, explains how laws and regulations can fight against patients with SUDs and stand in the way of better treatment options.

Boulder's in-house writer, Michael, who also works in TV and film, explains how Hollywood's obsession with sad stories has created a distorted view of patients with substance use disorder.