A National Call to Build Better Addiction Policies

Policy Team

July 14, 2025

A Step Forward: Closing the De Minimis Loophole

We’re proud to celebrate a major win in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: closing the ‘de minimis loophole’ for good.

This loophole let dangerous drugs like fentanyl enter our country more easily. Closing it is a critical step toward protecting our communities — and a result of tremendous bipartisan efforts.

But That’s Not Enough: Protecting Treatment Access

While this is good news, there’s also a serious problem. Parts of the federal budget plan could hurt people who need treatment.

Medicaid is the largest payer of addiction treatment in the U.S. Cutting or restructuring it could mean millions losing access to lifesaving care. In 2024 alone, nearly 250,000 people died from overdoses or alcohol-related causes. We cannot afford to reduce support now.

We Need a National Strategy

Beyond Medicaid, federal budget cuts and restructuring also threaten important addiction and mental health programs at the state and local levels. We need a strong national plan to improve addiction prevention and treatment — not just small fixes.

As Congress prepares the FY26 appropriations process, we’re calling for a real, coordinated plan to strengthen prevention and treatment across the country. That includes:

Restoring full funding for critical programs, like the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and funding to incorporate meaningful, quality metrics to the treatment locator (findtreatment.gov).
Providing $30 million of funding for the Addiction Medicine Fellowship (AMF) program. The AMF Program trains nearly 60% of U.S. addiction medicine and psychiatry specialists.
Restoring $109 million of funding for the Drug Free Communities (DFC) program.
Establishing a national public awareness campaign about preventing drug use and supporting mental health with a $50 million annual allocation.

A Message to Congress

We urge Congress to fund these priorities in the FY26 budget. Communities need more — not less — support to help families facing addiction and mental health challenges.

Shatterproof will keep working to make sure everyone affected by addiction has access to effective, compassionate care. Together, we can build a healthier, stronger nation.

🚨 Speak up and ask Congress to fully fund addiction prevention and treatment programs in the FY26 budget and save lives from overdose.