An article in the New York Times Magazine from June 17th by Tina Rosenberg profiles the conviction of a pain doctor, Dr. Ronald McIver, for drug trafficking and offers a nuanced analysis of the complexities of his trial. According to the article, there were some patients that were using McIver's prescriptions for reasons other than for pain, but there were also testimonies from other patients who claim that McIver was the only doctor who offered them any real relief from their pain.

The author concludes that the Drug Enforcement Agency, (DEA) should follow their own standard, that "for a criminal prosecution to occur, a doctor must have broken the link between the opioid and the medical condition." Reckless behavior, or being otherwise incompetent as a physician, should be dealt with by state medical boards.

The author admits that some 'pill-mill' doctors might get away with their crimes under such a standard. However, this might be a small price to pay to ensure that pain patients, including cancer patients, get the relief they need and prospective physicians are not scared off from pursuing the specialty of pain management.