How Common Is Heroin Overdose?

How Common Is Heroin Overdose? 


In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) noted that the overdose death rate is about five times what it was in 1990 and is currently at an all-time high. They reported that in 2007, drug overdose was the second-highest cause of unintentional injury death, second only to motor vehicle accidents. The most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths were found to be cocaine, prescription painkillers and heroin.

Heroin Medical Emergencies

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) monitors hospital emergency room visits related to the use of drugs and alcohol. They reported that in 2009, heroin was involved in more than 213,000 visits. For each 100,000 people in the United States, there were 69.4 medical emergencies involving heroin during the year.

Although abuse of and overdose on prescription drugs is a serious and growing problem, street drugs like heroin have an additional danger. The purity of illicit drugs is unpredictable and varies significantly between batches. People may overdose on heroin because when they take what they believe is their usual dose, they are actually receiving a larger amount of the drug. Read More…


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