Researchers identified 1,428 adults who received a first buprenorphine prescription for opioid use disorder between January 2020 and September 2024 and checked whether it was dispensed within 30 days. In 2023, the requirement that clinicians complete special training and obtain a waiver before prescribing buprenorphine was eliminated, a change intended to widen access. Prior research found that 32 percent of buprenorphine prescriptions written between 2015 and 2019 were never dispensed. In plain terms, prescriptions written for people already connected to the treatment system were more likely to be picked up. Among 1,428 adults given a first buprenorphine prescription for opioid use disorder between 2020 and 2024, 25.8 percent never had it dispensed within 30 days.