KYSAM’s Dr. Murphy Urges for the Repeal of Outdated Treatment Regulations

On October 23rd, Dr. James Patrick Murphy testified on behalf of the Kentucky Society of Addiction Medicine (KYSAM) before the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services. In his testimony, Dr. Murphy raised concerns that Kentucky’s buprenorphine treatment regulations (201 KAR 9:270) impede access to care and urged for their repeal.

In his testimony, Dr. Murphy began by noting the opioid overdose crisis is a public health emergency, disproportionately affecting minority groups and those of limited means. Then, Dr. Murphy traced the history of Kentucky’s state regulation of buprenorphine through 201 KAR 9:270. He argued that the regulation is flawed, outdated, and limits access to treatment for those in need. Specifically, Dr. Murphy emphasized the effectiveness of buprenorphine in treating opioid use disorder (OUD). He noted that the medication is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and that similar regulations of buprenorphine at the federal level, such as the x-waiver have been removed. As such, Dr. Murphy urged legislators to consider repealing 201 9:270 to allow clinicians greater flexibility to treat opioid use disorder and increase access to evidence-based care.

Read the testimony here.