,,,Definitions Matter: A Taxonomy of Inappropriate Prescribing to Shape Effective Opioid Policy and Reduce Patient Harm

We have to be careful to resist reactions that could endanger pain treatment-a fundamental right for all of us-when it is unclear that the proposed solution will succeed in any of its aims or that it even addresses the real locus of the problem. 1 Jay Lawrence died by suicide after his providers unilaterally and too rapidly decreased his pain medication. 2 They did so in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain (CDC Guideline or Guideline), 3 despite the fact that the CDC Guideline is for primary care providers making decisions about beginning opioids in opioid nave patients. 4 The * Assistant Professor and Director, Health Law Program, Creighton University School of Law. I am grateful for the many patients with chronic pain and the array of careful and compassionate providers with whom I have worked in the past, as well as the opportunity to work for and with Sandra H. Johnson, a pioneer in the use of law and policy to improve pain treatment. Those experiences deeply informed this article.