The proposed legislation, known as the Good Faith Pain Act, aims to provide legal protections for various licensed healthcare professionals in Washington State, including podiatric physicians, dentists, osteopathic physicians, pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, and advanced registered nurse practitioners. The bill stipulates that these professionals acting in good faith will not face criminal or civil liability, nor disciplinary action from their respective boards or departments, for prescribing or dispensing opioid drugs to patients with chronic pain, provided that the prescription is deemed medically appropriate through consultation and that the patient has signed a written informed consent documented in their medical records.

The act introduces new sections to multiple chapters of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), specifically chapters 18.22, 18.32, 18.57, 18.64, 18.71, 18.71A, and 18.79, detailing the conditions under which healthcare providers can prescribe opioids without fear of legal repercussions. Additionally, the act emphasizes its urgency by declaring an immediate effect for the preservation of public peace, health, or safety, and it is officially cited as the Good Faith Pain Act.