Pain patients are more likely to receive better care – whether with opioids or not – if the care of pain is embraced as an urgent priority and organized in a rational fashion. The Commission therefore recommends that all nations develop a comprehensive pain strategy that embraces an interdisciplinary approach, is based on scientific evidence, addresses both prevention and treatment, and is insulated from pharmaceutical and medical device industry influence. Also critical are a commitment to ensuring health equity across racial and ethnic groups, and a spirit of compassion towards and willingness to listen to individuals in pain, individuals experiencing addiction, and their families. The USA’s National Pain Strategy, upon which multiple members of the Commission worked, was released near the end of the Obama Administration but was not funded or sufficiently implemented. The Commission calls on the Biden Administration to revive it.