Prescription drugs may kill more than illicit drugs

The New York Times (6/14, A10, Cave) reported that "for Floridians, prescription drugs are increasingly a far more lethal habit" than use of illicit drugs. According to "[a]n analysis of autopsies in 2007 released this week by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission,...the rate of deaths caused by prescription drugs was three times the rate of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined." The Commission's "report analyzed 168,900 deaths statewide. Cocaine, heroin, and all methamphetamines caused 989 deaths, it found, while legal opioids -- strong painkillers in brand-name drugs like Vicodin (acetaminophen and hydrocodone) and OxyContin (oxycodone) -- caused 2,328." The Florida "report's findings track with similar studies by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which has found that roughly seven million Americans are abusing prescription drugs. If accurate, that would be an increase of 80 percent in six years, and more than the total abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy (3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine), and inhalants." Comment: This is only the tip of the iceberg because so few deaths are followed by autopsies.