Patients who sought care for a sprained ankle in states that were found to be ‘high prescribers’ of opioids were approximately three times more likely to receive a prescription for the drugs than those treated in ‘low-prescribing’ states, according to new research. Additional results of the study show that patients who received prescriptions for long courses of the drugs were five times more likely to fill additional opioid prescriptions over the next six months than those who received just a few days’ supply.