At long last, the “X-waiver” is finally eliminated

The federal omnibus appropriations package that was signed into law by President Biden in January 2023 included language originally from the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, which eliminated the requirement that healthcare providers possess a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) DATA 2000 waiver, or “X-waiver,” to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). This should dramatically expand access to addiction treatment and in particular to buprenorphine.