I am at a loss for why Virginia believes that children cannot become addicted to opioids. The notion that people under the age of 16 cannot suffer from the same addictions as someone over the age of 16 is starry-eyed and ignores the reality of the epidemic we are currently facing with opioids. If I'm being entirely honest, I believe the only reason Buprenorphine is restricted from this population is due to a biased phobia against products like Suboxone. Some medical professionals don't agree with the concept of how this medicine works, thus they try to slip in restrictions to vulnerable populations. But this phobia ignores the science and stats behind the medicine. Buprenorphine saves lives. 

Children can become addicted to opioids. Why would we prevent a life-saving drug from being used on a child who is addicted to opioids? I cannot think of a single reason why this restriction would exist, and after reviewing the other comments, it's clear that no one else can think of a reason. A doctor should not have to risk their license to provide the appropriate medical treatment to a child. The current restrictions are wildly outdated, and they are an affront to the Hippocratic Oath.