Ethics and Regulation of Opioid Prescriptions for Management of Pain: The Washington State Experience.

Painful conditions affect a significant population in the United States. As the scientific understanding of the benefits and harms of opioid therapy has evolved, so too has the application of prescription opioid therapy for the treatment of pain. The rapid increase in the use of prescription and illicit opioids over the past decade has contributed to a public health crisis commonly referred to as the "opioid crisis." In this article, the ethical approaches to treating patients with opioid pharmaceuticals as well as the development of regulation of opioid therapy in Washington State are reviewed.