Based on U.S. legislation passed in 2000, known as DATA (the Drug Addiction Treatment Act), any licensed provider (physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner) with a DEA registration who has received extra training and obtained a special waiver (known as an “x” license) from the DEA can prescribe Suboxone.
This means that Suboxone can be prescribed in an outpatient clinic, such as a primary care clinic or an outpatient psychiatrists’ office by any provider who has obtained their Suboxone license. Patients do NOT have to attend addiction specialty clinics (like a methadone clinic) to get Suboxone. This means it is often easier--more convenient and less stigmatizing-- for patients to access treatment for opioid dependence and addiction.
