NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—Philadelphia
Exhibit 2. Annual Mortality Cases in Philadelphia with the Presence of the 20 Most Frequently Detected
Drugs by the Medical Examiner: 1994–First Half 2004
ME-Identified Drugs
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, Vol. II, January 2005 191
Year
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
1. Cocaine 368 336 277 304 218 238 321 300 270 326 205 3,163
2. Heroin/Morphine 262 318 290 336 249 236 332 316 275 208 125 2,947
3. Alcohol-in-Combination 253 254 182 214 157 179 197 185 153 290 88 2,152
4. Diazepam 69 44 35 58 39 67 46 56 28 66 51 559
5. Phencyclidine (PCP) 46 44 29 46 19 35 48 45 51 58 20 441
6. Codeine 34 39 19 20 3 15 19 45 57 120 62 435
7. Methadone 23 12 26 24 10 36 36 46 55 79 57 404
8. Diphenhydramine 19 13 5 4 9 25 33 53 42 116 74 392
9. Oxycodone 4 2 1 14 29 17 49 53 68 81 51 369
10. Propoxyphene 30 30 27 32 21 22 40 43 31 41 17 334
11. Nortriptylene 14 11 15 18 24 29 20 32 32 50 20 265
(tie) 12. Alprazolam 24 8 17 18 19 8 16 31 27 45 31 244
(tie) 12. Amitriptylene 11 14 13 16 21 23 20 24 35 48 19 244
14. Hydrocodone 6 1 9 8 15 13 27 38 31 40 23 211
15. Temazepam 10 4 21 30 20 18 18 23 11 30 22 207
16. Doxepin 23 8 16 6 16 29 19 18 19 21 14 189
17. Fluoxetine 4 7 9 10 24 14 23 27 13 28 12 171
18. Phenobarbital 18 17 15 4 10 10 18 26 5 18 19 160
19. Oxazepam 5 3 9 26 19 11 12 17 11 16 24 153
20. Ibuprofen 2 1 0 2 1 7 8 18 10 53 41 143
Total Drugs Mentioned 1,346 1,245 1,121 1,282 1,039 1,232 1,637 1,857 1,589 2,672 1,746 16,766
Total Mortality Cases 617 632 565 592 484 533 675 660 593 841 469 6,661
Average Number of
Drugs Per Death
SOURCE: Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office
1H
2004
Total
2.18 1.97 1.98 2.17 2.15 2.31 2.43 2.81 2.68 3.18 3.72 2.52
Exhibit 3. Causes of Annual Mortality Cases in Philadelphia, as Determined by the Medical Examiner, by
Percent: 1998–First Half 2004
ME-Identified Cause 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 1H 2004
Adverse Effect of Drugs 60.6 55.7 56.6 56.4 57.7 30.4 32.4
Overdose 3.7 3.8 2.1 3.8 2.5 6.3 8.5
Violence by Another Person 10.7 9.6 13.0 10.0 11.6 17.2 15.8
Violence to Oneself 7.2 6.6 5.6 6.2 5.6 10.5 8.3
Other Causes 1
17.8 24.3 22.7 23.6 22.6 35.6 35.0
1 Other Causes include deaths with the presence of drugs caused by accident, injury, drowning, or a health or physical malady.
SOURCE: Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office