Abstract: Clinically informed efforts to curb inappropriate opioid prescribing seek to reduce prescribing to adults with lower pain levels that are potentially manageable with alternative therapies. According to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, the annual share of US adults who were prescribed opioids decreased from 12.9 percent in 2014 to 10.3 percent in 2016, and the decrease was concentrated among adults with shorter-term rather than longer-term prescriptions.