Another interesting article. Here's the abstract and a link to the article:

Abstract:
Undertreatment of pain is likely to occur among patient with active addiction, or those who have
a history of addiction. One of the factors that can contribute to the inadequate treatment of pain
in this patient population is the presence of laws and regulations that, when implemented, could
impede effective pain management. This article describes the current status of federal and state
policy governing the medical use of opioid analgesics for pain management with patients who
have an addictive disease. Three types of policy barriers are discussed: (1) those that can affect
pain management in any patient, (2) those that can lead to patients in pain being classified as
“addicts,” and (3) those that relate specifically to patients with a high risk of addiction. Also
presented are recent policy initiatives that can improve the use of controlled substances to treat
pain and, thus, ultimately enhance pain relief for patients with an addictive disease.

http://www.medsch.wisc.edu/painpolicy/publicat/02cjpn/Tx_addicts.pdf