Opioid Drugs in Maintenance and Detoxification Treatment of Opiate Addiction; Repeal of Current Regulations and Issuance of New Regulations: Delay of Effective Date and Resultant Amendments to the Final Rule

In accordance with the memorandum of January 20, 2001, from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled ``Regulatory Review Plan,'' published in the Federal Register on January 24, 2001, this action temporarily delays for 60 days the effective date of the rule entitled ``Opioid Drugs in Maintenance and Detoxification Treatment of Opiate Addiction; Repeal of Current Regulations and Issuance of New Regulations'' published in the Federal Register on January 17, 2001 (66 FR 4076). It also amends the final rule published on January 17 to extend by 60 days the dates outlines in the rule for transitional certification of opioid treatment programs so as to be consistent with extending the effective date by that amount of time. That rule repealed the existing narcotic treatment regulations enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and created a new regulatory system based on an accreditation model. It also shifted administrative responsibility and oversight of the program from FDA to SAMHSA.