"Reducing the amount of unused opioids out in the world, Valuck said, is “the biggest piece of low-hanging fruit in this whole thing.”"
Part of the problem is in the rules for opiod prescriptions. When going in for surgery, the prescription is written early, so that the pills can be in hand immediately after the surgery, and it is written for a one month supply, since it cannot be refilled any sooner. If you need the painkillers for a shorter period of time, you are left with pills that you have paid for and probably won't dispose of them, because you might need them at some future date.This makes for a lot of opiod medications sitting in medicine cabinets.