Vital signs: changes in opioid prescribing in the United States, 2006-2015.

This analysis of retail prescription data revealed that opioid prescribing has declined from a peak in 2010, but it remains higher than in 1999. Increased rates of opioid prescribing occurred in areas that are not urban, have a greater proportion of white populations, and higher unemployment and Medicaid enrollment. These results are consistent with prior studies about the opioid epidemic.