Netherlands National Drug Monitor - Research and Documentation ...

to the EMCDDA standard for calculating direct drug deaths, both accidental and nonaccidental
overdoses (suicide) are included, as well as cases where it has not been
determined whether the poisoning was accidental or not (EMCDDA, 2008; Van Laar et
al., 2002a, 2002b; Van Laar et al., 2006).
Between the mid-1990s and 2001, there was a rise across the spectrum – not only for
opiates - in the number of registered deaths from drug overdose (Figure 4.6). Per million
inhabitants aged between 15 and 64 the numbers fluctuated slightly. In the case of the
Netherlands, between 1996 and 2006, the number fluctuated between ten and thirteen
direct drug deaths in this population cohort (Figure 4.9).
Figure 4.6 Deaths from drug overdose in the Netherlands from 1986
160
Number
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
‘86 ’87 ‘88 ’89 ‘90 ’91 ‘92 ’93 ‘94 ’95 ‘96 ’97 ‘98 ’99 ‘00 ’01 ‘02 ’03 ‘04 ’05 ‘06 ’07 ‘08
Total
Opiates
Cocaine
Other
68 54 51 56 70 80 75 75 87 70 108 108 110 115 131 144 103 104 127 122 112 99 129
67 49 47 54 62 76 72 68 77 56 81 71 71 63 68 75 37 53 52 60 44 34 52
1 3 2 1 3 1 2 3 2 6 10 8 11 12 19 26 34 17 20 23 21 23 22
0 2 2 1 5 3 1 4 8 8 17 29 28 40 44 43 32 34 55 39 47 42 55
Number of deaths. From 1986-1995 ICD-9 codes: 292, 304.0, 304.2-9, 305.2-3, 305.5-7, 305.9, E850.0,
E850.8*, E854.1-2, E855.2, E858.8*, E950.0*, E950.4*, E980.0*, E980.4* (*In combination with codes
N965.0 and/or N968.5 and/or N969.6 and/or N969.7). From 1996 ICD-10 codes: F11-F12, F14-F16, F19,
X42**, X41**, X62**, X61**, Y12**, Y11** (**In combination with the T-codes T40.0-9, T43.6). For an
explanation of the codes: see appendix C. Source: Cause of death statistics, Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
• The rising trend from the mid-1990s can be partly attributed to an increase in cocainerelated
deaths (see § 3.7).
• The transition from classification system ICD-9 to ICD-10 in 1996 also plays a part
in the increase. A greater number of cases may possibly be counted as drugs deaths
since 1996 according to the ICD-10 classification, than was formerly the case with
4 Opiates
99