Evidence status: CURRENT AUTHORITY AND CHANGE-PATH RECORD. Massachusetts’ core long-term pain-management agreement mandate is written directly into M.G.L. c.94C §18A. Removing or materially narrowing that statewide statutory requirement requires legislative amendment.
Primary legislative route
The Massachusetts General Court controls §18A. The Joint Committee on Public Health is the principal standing committee for legislation concerning public health and Department of Public Health matters.
Current Public Health Committee chairs
| Chamber | Current chair |
|---|---|
| Senate | Sen. William J. Driscoll, Jr. |
| House | Rep. Marjorie C. Decker |
Department of Public Health
The current Commissioner of Public Health is Robbie H. Goldstein, MD, PhD. DPH administers MassPAT and controlled-substance policy, publishes guidance, and has implementation responsibilities under c.94C, but cannot repeal a statutory mandate enacted by the General Court.
Professional licensing boards
The Board of Registration in Medicine and other professional boards maintain license-specific controlled-substance rules. Those boards can amend their own regulations within statutory authority but cannot erase §18A.
Administrative rule-petition route
M.G.L. c.30A §4 allows any interested person to petition a Massachusetts agency to adopt, amend, or repeal a regulation and to submit supporting data, views, and arguments. That route can address board or agency regulations, but not repeal the statutory language of §18A itself.
What must change
A clean repeal or narrowing of Massachusetts’ statutory Contract for Care requirement must amend the language in M.G.L. c.94C §18A(b) requiring a written pain-management treatment agreement when extended-release or long-acting opioids are used during long-term pain management.
Primary sources
- M.G.L. c.94C §18A
- Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health
- Massachusetts DPH Commissioner’s Office
- M.G.L. c.30A §4
Reviewed: October 4, 2026.
Evidence boundary: Statutory repeal authority and regulatory amendment authority are distinct. Professional boards and DPH can change implementation rules within their authority, but only the General Court can amend §18A.