Guy GP, et al. - In this investigation, researchers examined opioid prescribing at the national and county levels in 2015 and 2017. Prescription opioids accounted for 40% of the 42,249 opioid-related overdose deaths in the US in 2016. Prescribing remains elevated relative to 1999 levels although the number of opioid prescriptions has been declining over the past several years.