Substance abuse: treatment facilities.

Existing law provides for the licensure, certification, and regulation of alcoholism or drug use recovery or treatment facilities serving adults, administered by the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. These facilities are defined to mean any premises, place, or building that provides 24-hour residential nonmedical services to adults who are recovering from problems related to alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug misuse or abuse, and who need alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug recovery treatment or detoxification services. This bill would revise the above-described definition to also include any premises, place, or building that provides24-hour services that do not require a health facility license to adults who are recovering from problems related to alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug misuse or abuse and who need alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug recovery treatment or detoxification services, and which may include, at the sole discretion of the facility, detoxification services assisted by licensed physicians. Existing law requires the department to establish a program for the operation and regulation of office-based narcotic treatment programs in which interested and knowledgeable physicians provide addiction treatment services, and in which community pharmacies supply necessary medication both to these physicians for distribution to patients and through direct administration and specified dispensing services. This bill would provide that the above-described program requirements are not intended to restrict the scope of practice of a physician that meets the criteria described in the federal Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 to engage in office-based treatment of opioid dependence, provided that the physician is not affiliated or associated with a licensed narcotic treatment program.