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Meth, heroin were equally fatal to Oregonians in 2006
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Friday, March 30, 2007 | No comments posted.
PORTLAND (AP) - Heroin and methamphetamine were each tied to the deaths of 89 people in Oregon last year, making them the state's deadliest illegal drugs, according to a state medical examiner's report released Thursday.
Though heroin and meth were equally fatal in 2006, the results represent a sharp diversion from numbers posted a decade ago. Back in 1996, there were 157 heroin-related deaths and only 33 meth-related deaths.
The increase in meth-related deaths probably indicates an increase in the drug's prevalence, said state medical examiner Dr. Karen Gunson.
Deaths were reported as drug-related if a medical examiner determined that meth, heroin or cocaine caused or contributed to a person's death based on blood levels.
Cocaine contributed to 64 of the 212 drug-related deaths in Oregon. Deaths involving more than one drug were counted in each category, so the combined meth, heroin and cocaine totals exceed 212.
Nearly 45 percent of the state's drug-related deaths in 2006 occurred in Multnomah County, which has the highest population in the state.
Lane County, which includes Eugene, had the second-highest total.
Gunson said meth-related deaths tend to be caused by trauma, from accidents and irrational behavior related to the drug's effects, she said.
“They end up doing things that they normally wouldn't do,” she said, such as jumping off a building.
Heroin-related deaths, meanwhile, tend to be caused by overdoses.
Gunson said the number of Oregon deaths related to overdoses on over-the-counter and prescription drugs, such as methadone, likely outnumber those deaths related to illegal drugs, Gunson said.
She said she hopes her office will begin reporting those other numbers in coming years.
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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
Though heroin and meth were equally fatal in 2006, the results represent a sharp diversion from numbers posted a decade ago. Back in 1996, there were 157 heroin-related deaths and only 33 meth-related deaths.
The increase in meth-related deaths probably indicates an increase in the drug's prevalence, said state medical examiner Dr. Karen Gunson.
Deaths were reported as drug-related if a medical examiner determined that meth, heroin or cocaine caused or contributed to a person's death based on blood levels.
Cocaine contributed to 64 of the 212 drug-related deaths in Oregon. Deaths involving more than one drug were counted in each category, so the combined meth, heroin and cocaine totals exceed 212.
Nearly 45 percent of the state's drug-related deaths in 2006 occurred in Multnomah County, which has the highest population in the state.
Lane County, which includes Eugene, had the second-highest total.
Gunson said meth-related deaths tend to be caused by trauma, from accidents and irrational behavior related to the drug's effects, she said.
“They end up doing things that they normally wouldn't do,” she said, such as jumping off a building.
Heroin-related deaths, meanwhile, tend to be caused by overdoses.
Gunson said the number of Oregon deaths related to overdoses on over-the-counter and prescription drugs, such as methadone, likely outnumber those deaths related to illegal drugs, Gunson said.
She said she hopes her office will begin reporting those other numbers in coming years.
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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
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