Fentanyl Test Strips, FASD Support, and $500M Boost: Congress Reauthorizes Core Addiction Programs Through 2030

The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 is essentially a massive five-year re-up and upgrade for the federal government’s core strategy to fight the substance use crisis. It extends dozens of programs covering prevention, treatment, and recovery, pumping hundreds of millions of new dollars into the system and updating the rules to handle modern drug threats like fentanyl and xylazine.

This isn’t just bureaucratic housekeeping; it’s about securing funding for critical services through fiscal year 2030. For example, the authorization for overdose prevention efforts (Sec. 103) jumps from the previous $496 million annually to over $505 million each year. Programs supporting recovery communities (Sec. 301) see a massive funding increase, going from $5 million to $17 million annually.

The New Playbook: Tracking Fentanyl and Xylazine

One of the most important updates is how the government tracks and responds to overdoses. The bill broadens the language in prevention programs (Sec. 103) to move beyond just “opioids” and focus on all “substances causing overdose,” including “analogues and other emerging substances related” to controlled substances. This is a direct response to the rise of synthetic threats like fentanyl and the animal tranquilizer xylazine, which are making the drug supply deadlier.

More critically, the bill explicitly allows states and tribes to use existing grant money to provide fentanyl and xylazine test strips (Sec. 113), provided that possessing and buying them is legal under state and federal law. This is a big deal for harm reduction efforts, allowing communities to use federal dollars for tools that can prevent immediate overdose deaths. For the first responder training program, the authorized funding also increases significantly, jumping from $36 million to $57 million annually (Sec. 106), ensuring those on the front lines have the resources to handle these more potent drugs.

Supporting Families and Protecting the Lifeline

The legislation establishes a new, comprehensive federal program focused on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) (Sec. 104). This program, authorized at $12.5 million annually, aims to improve education, prevention, diagnosis, and support services for individuals of all ages affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. If you’re a family navigating the complexities of FASD, this creates a dedicated federal structure to build capacity and provide resources that were previously fragmented.

For anyone who relies on the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the bill requires the network administrator to take specific steps to protect the service from cybersecurity incidents (Sec. 108). It also sets up a new reporting system where local centers must report vulnerabilities to the national administrator, who then reports up to the Assistant Secretary. This ensures that a critical mental health resource remains secure and available when people need it most.

Boosting the Workforce and Easing Access

Recognizing that treatment is only as good as the people providing it, the bill significantly increases funding for the loan repayment program for the substance use disorder treatment workforce (Sec. 204), boosting it from $25 million to $40 million annually. This is crucial for recruiting and retaining addiction specialists, especially in underserved areas. Furthermore, the bill explicitly includes “addiction medicine” specialists alongside psychiatrists in provider descriptions (Sec. 202), helping to formally recognize and integrate this expertise.

For those seeking recovery, the CAREER Act programs, which link recovery support with job training and employment, are reauthorized and see their funding increase from $5 million to $12 million annually (Sec. 305). These grants can now also use up to 5% of the funds for transportation, acknowledging the very real barrier reliable transit poses for people trying to hold down a job while maintaining recovery.

What It Means for Prescribers and Pharmacies

Finally, the bill includes several updates affecting healthcare providers. It expands the list of professional organizations whose training counts toward the required education for prescribing controlled substances (Sec. 402), adding groups like the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Podiatric Medical Association. This streamlines compliance for a broader range of specialists.

It also updates rules for pharmacies (Sec. 401), allowing them to deliver Schedule III, IV, or V controlled substances directly to a prescribing doctor for immediate use, provided the drug is for injection or implant (like some maintenance treatments) or is covered by a specific FDA safety program (REMS). This technical change simplifies the supply chain for certain addiction treatment medications.