Pain Assessment
Risk Assessment 
Pain AssessmentRisk Assessment
Guidelines
The manufacturing, prescription, and distribution of opioids are governed by federal and state authorities.
The federal Controlled Substances Act created 5 schedules of drugs. Opioid pain medications are considered Schedule 2 drugs. This classification means that they have a high potential for abuse; a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions; and abuse of the drug or other substances may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
Click here to view the Controlled Substances Act.
Federal regulations implementing the Controlled Substances Act have been issued by the US Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration; they can be found here.
Guidelines for opioid use in California and Virginia, 2 states with high rates of chronic pain and established heavy abuse of painkillers, are also available.
- Guidelines for Prescribing Controlled Substances for Pain (Medical Board of California, 1994, 2003) is available here.
- Model Policy for the Use of Controlled Substances for the Treatment of Pain, adopted by the Virginia Board of Medicine on June 24, 2004 (Guidance Document: 85-24), is available here.
