Doctors can prescribe pain drugs at regular stores, not only clinics.
H.R. 9790 — Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 of 2026 · Filed by Donald Norcross (D-NJ) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Jul 20, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill lets doctors prescribe a pain drug called methadone at regular stores. Right now, only special clinics can give out methadone. Patients can pick it up at a store near home while getting other help. States can choose not to allow this. The DEA must report each year on registrations and how much methadone stores order.
Who it affects
People with drug problems can get methadone at stores close to home. Doctors can prescribe it in new places. Stores will give out methadone to patients.
One thing to notice
Some states may block this program while others allow it. The bill does not say who pays to train doctors or set up stores.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
4 cosponsors: 3 Democrats, 1 Republicans.
- Jul 20, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 20, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- methadone — A drug that helps people stop using heroin or pain pills.
- DEA — The federal agency that tracks drugs that can be misused.
- registrations — Official records of doctors who are allowed to prescribe methadone.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jul 21, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,707 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-23.
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