The petitioner requests that the Board amend 18VAC85-21-150 and 18VAC85-21-160 to: (1) remove provision of counseling services or provision of a referral for counseling services to the patient; (2) remove documentation requirements of the rationale for prescriptions of buprenorphine which exceed 24 milligrams per day; and (3) remove the restriction on prescribing buprenorphine to patients younger than 16.  

The petition for rulemaking will be published in the Virginia Register of Regulations on June 2, 2025. The petition will also be published on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall at www.townhall.virginia.gov to receive public comment, which will open on June 2, 2025 and will close on July 2, 2025. The Board will consider the petition and all comments in support or opposition at the next meeting after the close of public comment, currently scheduled for August 1, 2025. The petitioner will be notified of the Board’s decision after that meeting. 

At its August 1, 2025 meeting, the Board of Medicine voted to take no action on the petition. The Board felt that the requirement to document the prescription of buprenorphine is not an onerous requirement and there is no justification for changing it. Additionally, the use of buprenorphine is not currently approved by the FDA and the Board saw a lack of justification for changing it.