In a concession to pain doctors and sufferers, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed changing its rules to allow patients to take home 90-day supplies of powerful narcotic painkillers like OxyContin, USA Today reported Sept. 7.

Previously, doctors were limited to prescribing just one month's worth of Schedule II drugs at a time. The DEA abortedly addressed the issue two years ago, issuing and then withdrawing physician guidelines to howls of protest from the medical community.

The proposed rule change, which could go into effect after the close of a two-month comment period, also applies to hyperactivity drugs like Ritalin.

In an official statement, the DEA also told doctors that the Controlled Substances Act won't be used as a weapon against doctors who legitimately prescribe drugs to treat chronic pain. DEA Administrator Karen Tandy said that only 67 of the 1-million-plus doctors registered with the agency to prescribe controlled substances have been prosecuted for abuses.

Tandy said the agency only goes after doctors "who knowingly and egregiously put drugs into the hands of traffickers and abusers. This isn't just questionable behavior. There is no gray area here."

"The DEA does not belong in the practice of medicine," Tandy added. " We want doctors to be able to prescribe drugs when people are in pain. We're trying to give them a comfort level."

"This is a step forward," said Frederick Burgess, president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. "Doctors who are practicing in good faith have very little to worry about."