Stacey McKenna, a resident senior fellow in Healthier Communities at the R Street Institute, testified before the Maryland Senate Finance Committee in support of Senate Bill 562. The bill would allow pharmacists to prescribe medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) through prescriber-pharmacist agreements.
McKenna highlighted that OUD remains a significant challenge in Maryland and across the United States. She noted that recovery from OUD requires access to a range of evidence-based and individualized treatment options. “OUD is a complicated health challenge and recovery is a nonlinear process that requires access to a full continuum of evidence-based, individualized treatment options,” McKenna said.
Drug overdose deaths in Maryland have decreased for four consecutive years, reaching their lowest point in a decade by 2025. This trend is attributed to the state’s focus on health-centered approaches to substance use, including expanding access to interventions such as evidence-based jail treatments and drug checking services. However, despite these improvements, 1,315 people died from drug overdoses last year in Maryland, and more than 500 out of every 100,000 insured residents are living with an OUD.
The impact of OUD extends beyond individuals struggling with addiction; more than 40 percent of Americans know someone who has died from an overdose. Each case costs Maryland approximately $1.4 million annually due to criminal justice expenses, healthcare costs, lost productivity, and other factors.
One key treatment option is buprenorphine—a medication approved by the FDA for treating OUD—which can reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings by binding differently to opioid receptors compared to drugs like heroin or fentanyl. Research shows that people treated with buprenorphine are less likely to use illicit drugs or engage in criminal activity and are about 60 percent less likely to experience an overdose compared with those not using medication-assisted treatment.
Despite its benefits, buprenorphine has historically been overregulated in the United States, limiting the number of available prescribers. Federal legislation passed in recent years—including the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act—has reduced barriers for healthcare providers prescribing buprenorphine and expanded permissions for pharmacists working with clinicians. The SUPPORT for Patients And Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 also authorized specialized training for pharmacists interested in prescribing this medication.
“SB 562 is of special interest to us because it would reduce unnecessary overregulation, increase MOUD availability, and thus make it easier for individuals with OUD to get the care they deserve,” McKenna stated.
With around 1,000 pharmacies statewide, expanding pharmacist authority could significantly grow Maryland’s pool of potential buprenorphine prescribers. Pharmacists already play important roles beyond dispensing medications; they prescribe contraception and drugs used both for overdose reversal and HIV prevention.
Studies indicate that allowing pharmacists to prescribe buprenorphine can improve patient care outcomes while reducing overall costs. In one Veterans Affairs program involving pharmacist prescribing of buprenorphine, nearly 87 percent of patients remained on treatment after three months.
Concerns about diversion—the misuse or redistribution—of buprenorphine were addressed during testimony as well. Research suggests diversion rates are low; when diversion does occur it often serves therapeutic purposes among those unable to access formal treatment programs. Expanding legitimate access through pharmacy prescribing may actually decrease rates of diversion by meeting community needs directly.
Medical professionals generally support expanding pharmacists’ role in providing OUD care; organizations such as the American Pharmacists Association have actively advocated for this approach nationwide.
McKenna concluded her testimony by urging passage of SB 562: “By expanding access and reducing barriers to evidence-based treatment for OUD through pharmacist prescribing of buprenorphine, SB 562 would prepare Maryland to continue its fight against the overdose crisis. It would save lives, improve people’s health and well-being, increase community safety, and reduce costs to taxpayers.”
