NC S361

Establishes the Stop Addiction Fraud Ethics (SAFE) Act of 2023 to regulate marketing, patient referrals, and ethical practices in substance use disorder treatment and recovery residences

Requires treatment providers and recovery residences to provide accurate marketing materials in plain language, including service types using American Society of Addiction Medicine standards, average lengths of stay for past 12 months, facility name/brand, and financial relationships with advertisers

Prohibits materially false or misleading statements about treatment services, provider credentials, recovery rates, network status, and surreptitious website redirects, with violations constituting unfair or deceptive trade practices under G.S. 75-1.1

Criminalizes patient brokering and kickback schemes, including offering or receiving anything of value to induce patient referrals or split-fee arrangements, with violators guilty of Class G felony; excludes federally authorized discounts and reasonable treatment incentives

Becomes effective January 1, 2024, and applies only to offenses committed on or after that date; exempts general hospitals licensed under Article 5 of Chapter 131E and hospital authorities