Amount of Opioids Prescribed Declined from 2010-2015, But Remains High

There was an overall decline in the amount of opioids prescribed in the United States between 2010 and 2015, but the quantity of prescriptions is still extremely high, according to a new government report.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the amount of opioids prescribed was three times higher in 2015 than in 1999, The New York Times reports.

The amount of opioids prescribed varies county by county, the CDC found. Half of U.S. counties have seen a decrease in the amount of opioids prescribed from 2010 to 2015. The highest prescribing counties still dispense six times more opioids than the lowest prescribing counties. Far more opioids are prescribed per capita in parts of Maine, Nevada and Tennessee than in most of Iowa, Minnesota and Texas.