Axeen S, et al. - In this work, researchers described the relative contribution of Emergency Departments (EDs) to national opioid prescribing. In addition, they estimated trends in opioid prescribing by site of care (ED, office-based, and inpatient), and investigated if higher-risk opioid users receive a disproportionate quantity of their opioids from ED settings. From 1996 to 2012, a significant increase in opioid prescribing was observed for noncancer patients in the United States. The majority of this growth was observed in relation to office visits and refills of previously prescribed opioids. To the prescription opioid problem, the relative contribution of EDs was modest and declining. This suggested that further efforts to reduce the quantity of opioids prescribed might have limited effect in the ED and should focus on office-based settings. In order to help providers identify high-risk individuals and refer them to treatment, EDs could instead focus on developing and disseminating tools.