Those with substance use disorders have great difficulty getting access to physicians that can prescribe MAT medications due to very strict credentialing laws. However, I see no reason for this. Doctors were allowed to prescribe Opiates which contributed greatly to the opioid epidemic. They should be able to prescribe the medications to help treat the addiction as well.
More funding is needed to help treat those with substance use disorders. If treating someone with substance used disorders costs around $4,000, lowers crime rates, and allows the person to return to work, why are we paying $22,000 to house them in prison where they are getting minimal treatment and little to no assistance when being released from incarceration? This just leads to entering back into the system where we continue to pay more money than necessary.
Medication Assisted Treatment and the Oklahoma Criminal Justice System 