Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. were second only to motor vehicle crash deaths as a cause of unintentional injury deaths in 2006. In 2006 26,400 unintentional drug overdose deaths occurred in the U.S. New Mexico and West Virginia had the highest drug overdose death rates in the country at 19.1 per 1,000. The most common drugs involved include cocaine, heroin, and prescription opioid painkillers. The death rate from drug overdose has increased 5-fold since 1990. This increase is attributed mostly to increases to prescription opioid painkillers. In 2006, deaths involving prescription opioid painkillers were 1.6 times higher than the number involving cocaine and almost 6 times higher than the number involving heroin. In 2006, opioid painkillers were involved in more overdose deaths than cocaine and heroin combined.

Opioid painkillers are synthetic versions of opium. They relieve pain by affecting the pain center in the brain. However, they also suppress the breathing rate to a deadly degree when taken in excess, especially if combined with alcohol or other drugs. Oxycontin (oxycodone), Vicodin (hydrocodone), and methadone are examples of prescription opioid painkillers. There has been a 10-fold increase in the use of prescription opioid painkillers in the past 15 years, resulting from more aggressive pain management. Opioids cause euphoria. Euphoria is medically recognized as a mental or emotional state of extreme well-being. It is generally considered an exaggerated physical and psychological state not typically achieved in normal human experience. Because opioids cause euphoria their non-medical, recreational use has increased. The National Institutes of Health estimates that about 20% of the U.S. population has used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. Almost half of emergency hospital admissions in 2000 (almost 500,000) resulted from prescription drug misuse. Opioid painkillers are considered "easy to get" and "everywhere" by half of today's high school students. Common sources include stealing them from friends and family, prescriptions acquired under pretenses, internet pharmacies, and drugs stolen from the pharmacies or pharmaceutical distributors. Taos Pharmacy was recently broken into and drugs stolen included dangerous opioid painkillers. People should be aware of the signs of opioid drug use. Side effects of opioids include drowsiness (sometimes extreme), pin-point pupils, increased sweating, and nausea and vomiting. Any unidentified tablets or capsules should be considered dangerous, confiscated and disposed of safely. Dangerous prescription drugs have entered the illegal drug market in Taos—drugs that are responsible for New Mexico having the highest drug overdose death rate in the country. We need everyone's help to assure the safety of our population. Please report any information that you may have regarding the Taos Pharmacy break-in on 6/3/2010 to the Taos police at (575) 758-2216.

References: http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Poisoning/brief_full_page.htm, http://www.prescription-drug-abuse.org/.

[Return to Archive Index]

[PageTop]