Home › CME › Opioid / controlled-substance CME
Opioid & Controlled-Substance CME Requirements by State
39 of 51 US jurisdictions mandate opioid, controlled-substance, or pain-management CME for physicians and advanced practice providers who prescribe — and the rules for how many hours, how often, and which courses count vary widely. Here's the map, and the two things most prescribers get wrong.
The DEA MATE Act is not your state requirement
The federal MATE Act requires a one-time 8 hours of training on treating and managing patients with substance-use disorders as a condition of your DEA registration. It is separate from — and does not automatically satisfy — your state's opioid/controlled-substance CME, which is usually recurring every renewal cycle.
The overlap that does help: because a MATE-qualifying course must be from an ACCME-accredited provider, its hours will usually still count toward a state's general CME total. Whether it also satisfies a state's specific opioid topic mandate is each board's call — confirm before you rely on it.
Where a generic course won't count — the 7 gate states
Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia require a board-approved or state-specific course for at least one controlled-substance/opioid mandate. A strong national course may not satisfy these — check each state's page before enrolling.
Opioid / controlled-substance CME by state
| State | Hours | Timing | Course type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 hours | every 2 years | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Alaska | 2 hours | per cycle (recurring) | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Arizona | 3 hours | per renewal | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Arkansas | 1 hour | each year | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| California | 12 hours | one-time (by 2nd renewal / within 4 years) | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Colorado | 2 hours | per renewal period | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Delaware | 2 hours | per CSR renewal | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Florida | 2 hours | per renewal | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Georgia | 3 hours | one-time (by 1st renewal) | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Illinois | 1 hour | per cycle (effective 1/1/2025) | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Iowa | 2 hours | every 5 years | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Kansas | 1 hour | per annual renewal | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Kentucky | 4.5 hours | per 3-year cycle | Board-approved course required |
| Louisiana | 3 hours | one-time (before 1st renewal on/after 1/1/2019) | Board-approved course required |
| Maine | 3 hours | per 2 years | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Maryland | 2 hours | one-time (before 1st CDS reg on/after 10/1/2018) | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Massachusetts | 3 hours | per renewal | Board-approved course required |
| Michigan | 3 hours | per cycle | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Mississippi | 5 hours | per 2-year cycle | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Nebraska | 3 hours | biennial | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Nevada | 2 hours | per licensure period | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| New Hampshire | 3 hours | per renewal | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| New Jersey | 1 hour | per renewal | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| New Mexico | 5 hours | each triennial cycle | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| New York | 3 hours | every 3 years | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| North Carolina | 3 hours | per 3-year cycle | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Oklahoma | 1 hour | each year | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Oregon | 7 hours | one-time (within 12 months of licensure) | Board-approved course required |
| Pennsylvania | 2 hours | per renewal | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Rhode Island | 8 hours | one-time (before 1st CS registration renewal) | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| South Carolina | 2 hours | per 2-year cycle | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Tennessee | 2 hours | biennial | Board-approved course required |
| Texas | 2 hours | first 2 renewals, then every 8 years | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Utah | 3.5 hours | per licensing period | Board-approved course required |
| Vermont | 2 hours | per renewal | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Washington | 1 hour | one-time | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| West Virginia | 3 hours | ONCE — within 1 year of initial licensure (recurring requirement removed 7/2026) | Board-approved course required |
| Wisconsin | 2 hours | per biennium | Any ACCME Category 1 |
| Wyoming | 1 hour | every 2 years (tied to CS registration) | Any ACCME Category 1 |
Timing/hours reflect board rules and FSMB summaries as of 2026-07-20; some carry known discrepancies noted on each state's page. States not listed do not currently mandate a recurring opioid/controlled-substance topic for all physicians.
See exactly which one opioid/controlled-substance course covers the most of your licenses — and when to take it — with the free planner.
Plan my opioid/CS CME →Frequently asked questions
Does the DEA MATE Act training satisfy my state opioid CME requirement?
Not automatically. The MATE Act 8-hour training is a one-time federal condition of DEA registration; state opioid/controlled-substance CME is separate and usually recurring. Some boards let one accredited course count toward both, but that is each state's decision. The MATE hours will typically still count toward a state's general CME total.
How many states require opioid or controlled-substance CME?
39 of 51 US jurisdictions currently mandate opioid, controlled-substance, or pain-management CME for physicians and advanced practice providers who prescribe, with hours and recurrence varying by state (and by licensing board).
Which states require a board-approved opioid CME course specifically?
The 7 "gate" states — Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia — require a board-approved or state-specific course for at least one controlled-substance/opioid mandate, so a generic national course may not count.
Is opioid CME a one-time requirement or recurring?
Mostly recurring. Only a handful of states make their opioid/controlled-substance requirement one-time; most repeat it every renewal cycle, and cycles range from 1 to 5 years. (The federal MATE Act training is the one-time one.)
Do I still need an X-waiver to prescribe buprenorphine?
No. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 eliminated the DATA-waiver (X-waiver). Any prescriber with a standard DEA registration including Schedule III authority may prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, subject to state law.
Educational information for physicians (MD/DO) as of 2026-07-20, compiled from state medical-board rules and statutes — not legal advice. Advanced practice providers (NPs, PAs, CRNAs, CAAs): your license CME is set by your own state board and may differ, but the federal DEA MATE Act and most opioid/controlled-substance prescribing CME apply to you too as a DEA registrant. Requirements change; verify with each state board before relying on them.