OBJECTIVES:  CDC has released guidelines for providers on appropriate opioid use which identify potentially unsafe opioid daily doses (≥50 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) and ≥90 MMEs). This study used a multi-employer dataset in eastern Tennessee to identify the proportion of opioid prescriptions that exceeded these thresholds. METHODS:  Prescription and medical claims data were obtained from the data warehouse of HealthCare 21, the employer coalition in eastern Tennessee. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted including beneficiaries with continuous eligibility from July 2014 to June 2015 who were ages 18-64. Individuals with a cancer diagnosis were excluded. Filled opioid prescriptions were identified and daily doses in MMEs were calculated. Daily doses of ≥50 MMEs and ≥90 MMEs were identified as these were thresholds described in CDC guidelines. RESULTS:  The final sample included 63,648 beneficiaries. The median age was 44 and 58% were female. Of these beneficiaries, 14,115 (22%) filled at least one opioid prescription. A total of 47,508 opioid prescriptions were filled. Among the population who filled at least one opioid prescription, the median number of prescriptions was 1, the mean was 3.4, and the maximum was 45. The median daily dose for all opioid prescriptions was 32 MMEs, the mean was 51 MMEs while the 90^th and 95^thpercentiles were 90 and 135 MMEs, respectively. Nearly one third of opioid prescriptions were for daily doses ≥50 MMEs (30%) and 12% were for daily doses ≥90 MMEs. CONCLUSIONS:  Despite CDC recommendations against the use of high daily doses of opioids, nearly one in three opioid prescriptions in this study were found to be for daily doses ≥50 MMEs. Further research is warranted to better understand factors contributing to the prevalence of high dose opioid prescriptions and how exposure to these potentially dangerous doses can be reduced.