The United States continues to face a severe opioid crisis, with millions of adults misusing prescription pain medications and facing heightened risks tied to long-term use, especially for chronic pain. In a Newsweek article, Dr. Lynn Webster, Senior Fellow of the Center for U.S. Policy (CUSP), notes that many current policy efforts aim to limit prescribing, but these approaches have done little to curb fatal drug poisonings, which are now largely driven by illicit drugs. While addressing broader socioeconomic factors will take time, he points to a more immediate and practical step: expanding access to safer, more effective nonopioid pain treatments. Federal efforts like the NIH HEAL Initiative, the NOPAIN Act, and the proposed Alternatives to PAIN Act are moving in that direction, though they mostly focus on acute pain and leave significant gaps for people living with chronic pain. Dr. Webster underscores that sustained investment in research and policies that improve affordability and access to innovative nonopioid therapies, especially for chronic pain, are critical to reducing opioid reliance while ensuring patients receive effective pain management.
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