Pain is a serious public health issue in the United States, where more than 50 million people live with chronic pain associated with various diseases. Sensational media focus on prescription opioid abuse has added to the impact of national anti-drug campaigns like "Just Say No to Drugs" that promote the idea that anyone can become an addict. The reality is less dramatic. Many patients can obtain relief with medically prescribed pain medication, and the likelihood of addiction as a result is extrememly low.

In the October 2002 issue of Ideas For An Open Society, Kathleen M. Foley, M.D., director of OSI's Project on Death in America, argues that attitudes and behaviors towards pain and its mangement must change. "The war on drugs," she writes, "must not become a war on patients."