Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016	Jul. 31, 2016
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001396814
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus (Q1,Q2,Q3,FY)	Q2
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		37,278,231