RT Journal
A1 Nelson LS, Perrone J
T1 Curbing the opioid epidemic in the united states: The risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (rems)
JF JAMA
JO JAMA
YR 2012
FD August 1
VO 308
IS 5
SP 457
OP 458
DO 10.1001/jama.2012.8165
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.8165
AB 
Prescription opioid analgesics have been used for decades for the outpatient treatment of acute medical, traumatic, and postoperative pain, as well as for chronic pain associated with malignancy and terminal disease. In the 1980s, a combination of factors, both patient-centered and business-oriented, led to the broader use of opioids for treatment of patients with chronic noncancer pain. This expanded use resulted in the dispensing of large quantities of opioids, of which a consequential, increasing minority was diverted to nonmedical uses, including inappropriate self-medication and recreational abuse.