Prescribing pain-killing drugs Providing pain relief with analgesic medicines
Implementation:
In 1994, after years of disciplining doctors for overmedicating, the California Medical Board issued guidelines reassuring physicians that it was acceptable to use narcotics to treat persistent, incurable pain. In 1997, the Legislature approved the [Pain Patient's Bill of Rights] allowing patients to ask for the painkillers of their choice. Similar laws went into effect in other states.