Following Calls from Senator Hassan, Biden Administration Pledges to Increase Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment and Target Drug Trafficking on the Dark Web

WASHINGTON – Following calls from U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), the Biden administration announced today that it would work to remove unnecessary barriers to prescribing buprenorphine, a proven medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder, as well as strengthen efforts to target illicit drug trafficking on the dark web.

Senator Hassan is leading bipartisan efforts in Congress to eliminate a burdensome requirement that makes it more difficult for providers to prescribe buprenorphine to their patients who are struggling with substance use disorder.

“I have long pushed to expand access to medication-assisted treatment for individuals with substance use disorder, and eliminating burdensome regulations that limit the ability of our doctors to prescribe this vital medication is critical to those efforts,” Senator Hassan said. “I applaud the Biden administration for its commitment to removing these unnecessary barriers to substance use disorder treatment, and I look forward to working with the White House to get this done.”

Senator Hassan is also leading bipartisan efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking on the dark web. 

The Senator added, “The dark web provides drug dealers with an anonymous platform to distribute illegal drugs. We must do more to disrupt and dismantle these marketplaces, which are playing an outsized role in fueling the substance use disorder crisis. I am pleased that the Biden administration has announced its intent to take strong action to go after drug dealers on the dark web, and I am eager to work together to address this evolving threat, as well as cryptocurrency’s role in these marketplaces.”

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