The CDC’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain is intended for clinicians prescribing opioids for chronic pain outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life treatment. The guideline provides recommendations on when to initiate or continue opioids for chronic pain; opioid selection, dosage, duration, follow-up, and discontinuation; and assessing risk and addressing harms of opioid use. Chronic pain should primarily be managed by non-pharmacologic or nonopioid pharmacologic therapy. When utilized for pain management, opioids should be started at the lowest effective dosage and titrated slowly. Prescribers and patients are mutually responsible for mitigating risks associated with opioid use.