The NC General Assembly enacted S.L. 2015-241, s. 12F, 16(a) requiring that the NC Board of Podiatry Examiners, among other health licensing boards,  adopt the North Carolina Medical Board's Policy for the Use of Opiates for the Treatment of Pain, by July 1, 2016. The NC Board of Podiatry Examiners adopted said policy on March 9, 2016. However, in adopting the policy, the Board of Podiatry Examiners wished to note that the scope of practice of podiatrists (DPMs) in North Carolina is more restrictive than that of physicians and other health practitioners who are licensed by the NC Medical Board. One key distinction is that podiatrists more often treat acute pain rather than chronic pain. The Board of Podiatry Examiners had previously also adopted a series of public Position Statements on "Prescriptions and Controlled Substances " that more closely relates to podiatric scope of practice.