Opioid Prescription Rates Vary Across The United States, With Highest Rate In Southern States

In 2012, the number of prescriptions in each state for opioid pain relievers (OPRs) and benzodiazepine sedatives varied widely. The rate of OPR prescriptions averaged 82.5 per 100 population nationally, but ranged regionally from an average of 68.0 per 100 in the Western states to an average of 93.7 per 100 population in the Southern states. The rate of benzodiazepine prescriptions averaged 37.6 per 100 population nationally, and ranged from 27.0 per 100 in the Western states to 43.1 per 100 population in the Southern states.

These findings were reported in “Vital Signs: Variation . . .