Opioid Guidelines Are a Necessary Response to the Opioid Crisis

Guidelines for opioid prescribing in noncancer pain have proliferated since the opioid crisis in the United States became widely recognized. The recently published Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for opioid prescribing have been controversial. Many of these concerns arise from underestimation of the scale of the opioid crisis, as well as misunderstanding what the guidelines actually say. Strict guidelines should be welcomed as a constructive approach to managing a thorny public health issue.