Barriers to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Implementation in Jails and Postincarceration Community Settings

Embedded within a larger randomized controlled trial assessing implementation strategies for delivering medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in jails and during transition to community treatment, this article focuses on barriers to MOUD. Twenty-three qualitative interviews representing 19 organizations were conducted to understand these barriers. The three that surfaced as most pertinent are: policy, organizational structure, and stigma related to addiction and incarceration. This study also found a double stigma for those incarcerated and struggling with addiction, amplifying barriers to MOUD. Improving MOUD implementation is essential to reducing fatal overdoses, enhancing care postrelease, and expanding treatment access in the community.