The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published guidance on April 5, 2022 explaining how The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people who are in treatment or recovery for opioid use disorder (OUD), including those who take prescription medications as part of that treatment.
The guidance states that individuals in treatment or recovery from opioid use disorder are disabled under the ADA unless they are currently engaged in illegal drug use. These individuals may be prescribed medications such as methadone, buprenorphine (Suboxone) or naltrexone, among others. Employers may not discriminate against employees who are in treatment for OUD and who use such medications.
