Document And Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jul. 30, 2014
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Entity Registrant Name	ACURA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000786947
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Trading Symbol	ACUR
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		48,847,982