Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., is working on a bipartisan bill to help people battling addiction.Hassan introduced the Mainstream Addiction Treatment Act with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK. >> Download the FREE WMUR appThe senators said the bill will eliminate the requirement for practitioners to apply for a waiver through the Drug Enforcement Administration to prescribe buprenorphine, a medication that helps those struggling with substance abuse. “Medication-assisted treatment is the gold standard for treating substance use disorder and we need to break down the barriers that prevent health care providers from treating patients in need,” Hassan said in a statement.Keith Howard, executive director at Hope for New Hampshire Recovery, said better access to medication-assisted treatment is welcomed, along with recovery methods. “All of the research shows that any MAT in conjunction with recovery is going to be much more effective that buprenorphine on its own,” he said. “It’s not a magic bullet.”In his role, Howard has seen varying results off buprenorphine. As for seeing a Democrat and a Republican work together on this issue, Howard had a straightforward response. “Death is not a partisan issue,” he said.The bill would also require the secretary of Health and Human Services to educate practitioners about the change in the law.