Advocacy group sues Washington over guidelines for pain medications

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 27, 2008

A pain treatment advocacy group has filed suit in federal court challenging restrictions Washington state officials have put on prescription pain medication. The nonprofit Pain Relief Network says that the guidelines for prescribing narcotics have influenced pain treatment across the country and have made doctors afraid to give opiate prescriptions. Representatives from the Network said the guidelines do not take into account the needs of individuals and make doctors afraid to give larger doses when necessary.