LANSING — The Michigan Dept. of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has announced the first update to opioid addiction treatment rules since 1981, reducing the number of such rules from 103 to 50.

The state’s update and new rules will allow better access to a wider variety of licensed professionals available to assist people suffering from addiction. New rules will also expand the use of additional health professionals, including physician’s assistants, advanced practice nurses and licensed practical nurses, and include a new system called MAPS that provides data to assess a patient’s risk for substance abuse.

The department is also launching a new one-stop shop website, www.Michigan.gov/opioids.

“The new rules reduce cumbersome regulations and simplify requirements while simultaneously modernizing care for those who need it most,” said LARA Director Shelly Edgerton.