Congressional Briefing Q&A: The Real Dangers of Equating Opioid Dependence with Addiction

On November 19, 2019 the NPSC and the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus (ATR) convened a congressional briefing with internationally recognized experts to discuss the dual challenges of addiction and dependence in developing policy responses to the opioid epidemic. Although many people conflate addiction and dependence, they are not the same, and the distinction has important implications for the millions of people who rely on opioid medications for pain management. This session is the Q&A that followed the talks.