The Stronger the drugs, the more deaths?
November 12th, 2007 | by Timothy Kintzel, M.D. |
A recent article investigated the commonly held belief that outbreaks of heroin overdose and subsequent deaths are related directly to the quality or purity of available street heroin. In Austria, investigators collected data on drug related emergencies and post-mortem reports of drug related deaths and then analysed the samples of police-collected street heroin. What was found was contrary to the previously held belief. There was no significant relationship between the rate of heroin-related incidents and the diacetylmorphine (the active drug in heroin) concentration of street heroin samples from that time period. The investigators acknowledge the weaknesses and limited scope of this study so they do not completely rule out the association between the purity of heroin and heroin-related deaths/emergencies.
Reference: Rissler D et al, J Forensic Sci. 2007 Sep;52(5):1171-6
Tags: Drug Abuse, Heroin, OD, Overdose, toxicology