Our Approach

NCADD-Maryland remains committed to pursuing and advocating for policy reform and legislative solutions, when necessary, in addressing identified policy that is a barrier to accessing treatment.

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    Available Funding

    We work to Increase state funding to expand treatment capacity.

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    Ensuring Resources

    Achieving and maintaining recovery, through access to healthcare, housing, social service and entitlement programs, education, employment and restoration of voting and parental rights.

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    Statewide Resources

    Working to ensure that adequate, statewide, prevention services are maintained to reduce the number of persons falling victim to the disease of addiction.

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    Removing Barriers

    Barriers preventing the establishment of an adequate number of quality treatment programs to serve ALL individuals in need of substance abuse treatment services throughout Maryland, regardless of a person's income or lack of income.

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    Equal Rights

    Assuring that those affected by the disease of addiction are afforded the same rights and opportunities as persons affected by other illnesses.

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    In the Workplace

    Advocating on workforce development issues to ensure we have a well-trained, professional workforce in sufficient numbers to provide the full range of treatment services necessary to effectively serve Maryland's communities, and its citizens.

What does policy reform and the legislative process look like through NCADD-MD’s lens?

Big ideas, real impact.

Over the years, NCADD-MD has celebrated many victories in the State legislature working toward the passage of bills that pursue and advocate for policy reform and legislative solutions, when necessary.  NCADD-MD targets policy that may act as as a barrier to accessing treatment and recovery services; advocates for budget allocations for treatment and recovery and related support services; provides input to public policy that advances decriminalization and harm reduction as it relates to substance use disorders; and advises public officials on best practices and effective policy that involves alcohol, cannabis and problem gambling legislation.

We are all Advocates.

At NCADD-MD, we encourage and remind all of our constituents and consumers that we are all advocates.  Lawmakers want to hear from you, you are the expert, and once you learn the process you will see that it is really not difficult, and does make a huge difference. It starts with relationships and resources….first, get to know who your legislators are, meet with them off-session in your community or district.  Look for them at community events and introduce yourself.

  • To become a law, each bill must: pass 3 readings on each chamber (House of Delegates and Senate); be identical to one another on the final vote by each chamber; not be vetoed by the governor. Each bill that is introduced must be sponsored by a legislator. Ideas for bills can come from anyone, you just need to find the right sponsor. There is an average of 2,500 bills introduced, and about 600 bills are passed, each year.

    • At the First Reading, the bill is introduced and can be only in one chamber or cross-filed.

    • In the Hearing in Committee, the public can testify in support, support with amendments, or opposition.

    • Standing Committees are organized by subject matter.

  • Your testimony can be written and/or oral. It must take a position on the bill, either Support, Support with Amendment, or Oppose. Always keep oral comments brief. Tell them your story with honesty and empathy.

  • After that the committee votes, and reports the bill to the floor of the House or Senate.

    • At the Second Reading, if accepted, the bill can be amended, killed or moved to Third Reader.

    • t the Third Reading, the bill can be debated, but not amended in its original chamber. If it in the opposite chamber, it can be amended. This is an up or down vote.

    • The vote on Third Reading sends the bill to the opposite chamber where the process starts over.

    • If the bills are not identical after passing both chambers, it goes to a conference committee.

    • In conference, if an agreement is made, the bill goes back to the full House and Senate for final approval. If no agreement, the bill dies in conference.

    • After passing both chambers identically, the bill goes to the Governor for signage or veto. You can contact the Governor to urge him to sign/veto a bill. If the bill is to be signed, you can be part of history by attending the bill signing ceremony and getting your picture taken as it is signed.

    • If vetoed, the General Assembly can consider overriding the veto during the next Session. Unless it’s a “pocket veto” – the last year of a Governor’s term after a certain date.

  • Visit the Maryland General Assembly Website to find out all you need to know regarding your legislators, upcoming bills, and how to reach out to your representatives. At this site, just type in the number of the bill and search. You will find information on the bill, its sponsors, when it’s scheduled for a hearing, its status, its text and amendments, etc.

  • The Maryland House of Delegates have outlined a list of 2025 House of Delegates Protocols. The entire document can be viewed to answer any questions you may have regarding this year’s House sessions held in the House of Delegates Office Building in Annapolis, MD.  Of interest to our collaborating advocates, the document states that full committee work will be conducted in person in committee rooms in a hybrid format, as witnesses may choose to testify either in person or online. Subcommittees will generally meet virtually.

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    Maryland Department of Health/ Behavioral Health System of Care Workgroup

    NCADD serves on the workgroup and the discussion groups. The purpose of the workgroup is to synthesize principles and build consensus around the design component for the system of care. The topics being reviewed are quality, integrated care management, cost management and behavioral health provider management and network adequacy.

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    Opioid Operations Command Center (OOCC)

    NCADD-MD has worked with the OOCC, from the start, to keep the center up-to-date on the priorities of the consumers and families we represent, as well as the issues that providers must deal with daily. We offer our expertise to the team as they move forward in implementing the recommendations that have been identified by the Governor’s Task Force.

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    Interagency Heroin and Opioid Coordinating Council and the Joint Committee on Behavioral Health

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    Crisis Subcommittee for the Governor’s Commission to Study Mental Health and Behavioral Health

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    State Overdose Advisory Council

    NCADD-MD continues to be an active member of this Advisory Council. The council promotes a training program for Naloxone distribution for professionals, EMT staff and law enforcement officers, and we have stepped up our educational and outreach efforts to get as many people trained as possible.

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    Behavioral Health Advisory Council

    NCADD-MD has a representative on the Council to represent those in recovery and their specific needs, such as medication-assisted treatment, case management, housing, and other wrap around support services

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    Baltimore County, Anne Arundel and Howard County Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC)

    NCADD-MD attends monthly meetings of the county ROSC workgroups and provides input as it relates specifically to those in recovery.

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    Behavioral Health System Baltimore

    NCADD-MD’s Executive Director is actively involved in the local efforts of the Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore (BHSB). BHSB continues to focus on Harm Reduction initiatives in the city as well as access to treatment for the underserved population.

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    Legal Action Center/Maryland Parity Coalition

    NCADD-MD is a member of the coalition and recently celebrated the completion of the Parity @10 Campaign. NCADD-MD and the Legal Action Center work together to oversee the progress Maryland Medicaid has made toward achieving compliance with the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act under the direction of the Office of Planning in the Health Care Financing Administration. Parity for telehealth services is a major focus of our legislative efforts every year, and we will continue to monitor it with the Maryland Insurance Administration to ensure compliance.

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    Maryland Behavioral Health Coalition (MBHC)

    NCADD-MD is an active member of this coalition with a number of other agencies. Through written and oral testimony, working with the members of the coalition, we helped shape and determine the outcome of important legislation that passed this year during the General Assembly session.

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    Baltimore Resource for Individual Drug Use and Education (B.R.I.D.G.E.S.) Coalition

    NCADD-MD participates in the coalition, specifically on the Legislative Advocacy Committee to work to end overdose and criminalization of individual drug use.

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    Health Care. Keep It! Medicaid Collaborative

    NCADD-MD is working with this group of organizations that are committed to ensuring that Maryland’s Medicaid program responds to changes at the federal level by maximizing coverage and care for all Marylanders who rely on the Medicaid safety net health care system.

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    Alcohol/Tobacco/Cannabis Network

    This is a grass roots coalition consisting of professionals, public policy advocates, and family members to provide valuable input to the newly established Maryland Alcohol/Tobacco/Cannabis Commission that is now in charge of enforcing and regulating the state’s laws concerning alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.

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2026 Public Policy Agenda

The people of Maryland who rely on state-supported services are entering into a difficult time. The State faces a significant budget deficit that is expected to grow in the coming years. Access to health care is diminishing because of policy and funding decisions at the federal level. People who use substances, those with substance use disorders, and the recovery community will all have to navigate a health care landscape that is rapidly changing. With these challenges in mind, NCADD-Maryland has established this 2026 Public Policy Agenda.

  • NCADD-Maryland strongly supports continuing investment in the public behavioral health system and access to care for all Marylanders. Specific priorities include:

    • Protecting funding in the Opioid Restitution Fund from being used to supplant services currently supported with state general funds

    • Supporting regulatory efforts to create strong standards of quality for treatment programs, clear roles related to oversight, and funding to ensure adequate enforcement

    • Supporting efforts to protect access to public and private health insurance and educating the community about changes to Medicaid mandated by the federal government

    • Expanding prevention efforts through access to behavioral health services without requiring a clinical diagnosis

    • Advocating for an increase in provider reimbursement rates in order to keep up with increasing costs and retain a high quality workforce

    • Supporting ongoing efforts to expand the treatment and recovery service workforce

    • Working with public and private insurance to remove barriers to medications used to treat opioid use disorders, especially to address the growing disparities in overdose deaths in communities of color

  • NCADD-Maryland understands that while treatment is an important tool in addressing someone’s substance use disorder or mental health needs, ongoing recovery supports are essential to ensuring a person’s long-term recovery. Specific priorities include:

    • Investing in recovery supports not reimbursed by Medicaid, including recovery community organizations, recovery residences, and all peer recovery specialists

    • Improving supports for the certified and non-certified peer workforce, and expanding the settings where Certified Peer Recovery Specialists can have their services reimbursed by Medicaid

    • Creating and strengthening a recovery-oriented system of care throughout the state

    • Investing heavily in the creation of more affordable housing throughout the state, including supportive housing programs

  • NCADD-Maryland is a champion for an approach to drug use that embraces a range of harm reduction strategies. Specific priorities include:

    • Creating overdose prevention centers in Maryland

    • Decriminalizing paraphernalia used to administer drugs

    • Continuing to appropriately decrease police presence in behavioral health crisis situations

    • Expanding access to overdose reversal drugs such as naloxone, with a focus on compassionate overdose response

    • Opposing legislation that reverts to the failed “war on drugs” approach, such as increasing penalties for distribution of opioids

  • NNCADD-Maryland is an active member of the Maryland Parity Coalition and supports their work to ensure access to care. Specific priorities include:

    • Passing legislation to codify Parity compliance measures that exist in federal regulation

    • Ensuring commercial insurance carriers and Maryland Medicaid comply with the Parity Act

    • Supporting legislation to increase transparency of data related to private insurance coverage of behavioral health services

  • NCADD-Maryland supports a public health approach to addressing problem gambling. As efforts to continue expanding legal gaming continue, specific priorities include:

    • Creating a larger and more sustainable revenue stream from legal gaming into the Problem Gambling Fund

    • Opposing expansion of legal gambling, include iGaming and iLottery

  • NCADD-Maryland understands that stigma remains one of the biggest barriers people who use drugs and those with substance use disorders face when seeking help and being successful in their recovery. Specific priorities include: 

    • Rejecting all proposals that perpetuate the stigma against people with substance use and mental health disorders, that oppose quality treatment programs in the community, and that restrict people’s choices regarding the kind of clinical treatment they choose, including treatment assisted with all medications

    • Supporting efforts that protect the rights of people who have been incarcerated, including those that promote access to housing and employment

  • NCADD-Maryland continues to work at the state and local levels to ensure treatment for substance use disorders for people who are incarcerated is integrated into the health services provided in jails and prisons. Specific priorities include:

    • Supporting efforts to ensure people in local detention centers and state prisons have access to medications for their substance use disorders

    • Supporting efforts by Maryland Medicaid to implement a waiver request to the federal government to allow Medicaid benefits to start prior to a person’s release from incarceration

  • NCADD-Maryland supports a public health approach to policies related to cannabis and alcohol. Specifical priorities include:

    • Ensuring measures are in place that address a range of public health impacts, and reinvest revenue generated from legalization into public health services and communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs

    • Opposing efforts to expand sales locations of alcohol, including in convenience and grocery stores

Maryland Bill to Watch