Welcome to module five, which is about access to updates for the management of pain and to other controlled medicines. Last week, we had explored the consequences of prohibition based policies massively implemented around the world in terms of health, human rights, development, and the environment. Here, we will focus on a particular issue which has an important impact on the health and well-being of many people around the world. Opioids and other controlled medicines are very efficient to treat severe pain and other medical conditions for the development and use are hindered by legal, moral, psychological, and educational barriers. In lesson one, you will be given more details about the mechanism of the international scattering of drugs. Why it is so important for the issue raised here, how it works, and why it is problematic. In lesson two, you will hear about the barriers to access opioids for the management of pain. Different types of opioids are used to treat all kinds of serious pain conditions, including in children, as well as, in palliative care. The risk of becoming addicted to this medical appearance is extremely low, and they should be easily accessible for people who need them. But you will see that the reality is quite different. Most people in need do not have sufficient access to medical opioids. Hearing this, you may have in mind the current debate on the opioid epidemic in North America. Obviously, this tragic situation shows that medical opioids have to be acutely prescribed, but it is important for you to understand that the main sources of the epidemics do not depend on the properties of the substance itself, and that it ought not be used as an argument to further restrict the access to medical opioids for the management of pain. This will be explained to you in a specific video. Cannabis and cannabinoids are another example of scheduled and stringently controlled substances that have interesting medical applications. Recent research has shown the benefits of the medical use of cannabinoids to relieve certain pain and spastic conditions, but they are still strictly regulated in most countries, and research on and medical use of cannabinoids remained very limited. Today many people continued to suffer unacceptable and avoidable pain because of the inadequacy and restrictive interpretations of the drug control framework. At the end of this lesson, alternative voices currently being experimented with, and potential solutions to improve access to controlled medicines will be known to you. The objectives of this module are for you to be able to describe the scheduling of controlled medicines, recognize the barriers to access to controlled medicines, and discuss the challenges posed by prescription drugs epidemics, examine the current issues around the medical use of cannabis and cannabinoids. As in the previous modules, we will offer you the possibility to go deeper in the analysis of the presented issues by reading and watching additional resources, and to take part in the debate through pedagogical activities and participation in the forum. And of course, the final queries will formally assess your newly acquired knowledge on the issues discussed during the week. I wish you an exciting learning experience throughout this module.