The widespread availability of MAT therapy is a severe challenge to the public health agenda, as it can provoke cases of opportunity misuse. More specifically, it refers to the fact that more clinicians have been given the freedom to use medication-assisted treatment for psychoactive patients, including as part of emergency care. Although such staff members had to be trained and competent, it cannot be guaranteed that each of them was fully aware of the new responsibility. The ethical dilemma from this perspective is that expanding the list of those performing MAT therapy improves the health care agenda and increases the likelihood of abusing their capacity for unauthorized work. This includes illegally prescribing medications to bypass the system, pressure from patients, using inappropriate medications due to haste or ignorance, and ignoring the benefits of MAT for emergency psychoactive poisoning therapy due to fear.
As mentioned earlier, the use of MAT to treat patients with psychoactive addictions has been expanded legislatively through The SUPPORT Act. In fact, most prescription medications are also regulated by the Controlled Substances Act, which classifies substances using five schedules. In addition, physicians and nurses who use MAT in their practice must be accredited and certified with the CFR authorizing the use of opioid substances for addiction treatment (SAMHSA, 2022). General rules describing the need for experience with a qualified clinical person, a description of MAT inclusions, and an overview of the specifics regarding maintenance therapy for juvenile adolescents are described in more detail in 42 CFR § 8 (LII, 2015). It is worth acknowledging that existing laws are constantly being updated and modified in the search for optimal regulation regarding psychoactive addictions among Americans.
References
LII. (2015). 42 CFR § 8.12 — Federal opioid treatment standards. Law Cornell. Web.
SAMHSA. (2022). Statutes, regulations, and guidelines. U.S. Department Health & Human Services. Web.