Piper BJ, et al. - Researchers sought to provide an update on medical use of prescription opioids in the U.S. over the past decade and examine changes in opioids for the treatment of pain vs an opioid use disorder (OUD) at a state level. They also determine if state demographics (i.e., median age) were associated with the opioid quantities. Prescription opioid use has been decreasing in the U.S over the past 5 years, with the exception of buprenorphine, used to treat an opioid use disorder. They identified substantial inter-state variations in rates with a five-fold difference between the highest Morphine Milligram Equivalents in 2016 (Rhode Island=2,623.7 mg/person) relative to the lowest (North Dakota=484.7 mg/person).