Maryland pharmacists will gain expanded authority to participate in opioid use disorder treatment under a new state law taking effect July 1.
House Bill 838 eliminates the requirement that authorized prescribers submit prescriber-pharmacist agreements to the applicable health occupations board. The law also authorizes qualified pharmacists to participate in opioid use disorder treatment involving controlled dangerous substance drug therapy under qualifying prescriber-pharmacist agreements. Pharmacists must satisfy applicable registration, training and protocol requirements and review information from Maryland’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program before initiating or modifying controlled substance therapy.
The legislation reflects a broader national push to expand pharmacists’ clinical roles. A December 2025 federal law — the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act — explicitly authorized pharmacists to complete training to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, though state-level authorization is still required. Maryland’s law now provides that authorization within the state. More broadly, 17 states proposed expanding pharmacists’ scope of practice in recent legislative sessions, with several targeting chronic disease management and therapeutic prescribing as healthcare organizations face provider shortages.
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