In the late 1980s, physicians trained in treating the chronic pain of terminally ill cancer patients began to recommend that the "opioid therapy" (treatment that involves narcotics related to opium) used with their patients also be used for patients suffering from pain related to a nonterminal condition. The new therapies proved successful, leading to a dramatic increase in the sales of prescription pain medication. The addictive potential of such medications, however, has caused concern among physicians, medical boards, and law enforcement officials. This concern was heightened when the media began reporting that the popular narcotic pain medication OxyContin was found on the black market for illicit drugs, causing overdoses and deaths. Although many of these reports proved to be exaggerated or untrue, some members of the U.S. Congress and officials in the U.S. Justice Department demanded that the DEA address the alleged pervasiveness of OxyContin abuse. The aggressive plan developed by the DEA included a focus on doctors who prescribe OxyContin and other similar narcotic pain medications. The familiar drug enforcement tactics have included undercover investigations, asset forfeiture, and the use of informers. This has intimidated many doctors out of pain management entirely and likely persuaded others not to enter it. The DEA should terminate its focus on doctors' responsible treatment of patients with chronic pain and concentrate instead on the theft of such drugs from warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and en route to pharmacies. Doctors must be unfettered in their freedom to pursue treatment options they believe to be in the best interests of their patients. 163 notes