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Doctors Kill
June 14, 2008 permalink
In the hysterical war on drugs, fought with much propaganda and few facts, Florida has provided some facts. The Medical Examiners Commission of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement counted deaths during the first six months of 2007. Of about 87,500 deaths, drugs were the cause in 2,224 cases. Of those, legal drugs (alcohol, benzodiazepine, carisoprodol/meprobamate, and legal opioids) caused 1749 while illegal drugs (methamphetamine, cocaine, inhalants, GHB, ketamine, PCP and heroin) caused 475. Marijuana (cannabinoids) caused no deaths. Age data was available only for nine drugs. For persons under the age of 18, seven legal drugs (alprazolam, diazepam, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone, morphine and propoxyphene) caused 16 deaths, while two illegal drugs (cocaine and heroin) caused 2 deaths. Psychotropics (almost all provided legally, even against the will of the patient) were not on the list, but it is safe to say that doctors kill a lot more children (and adults) with drugs than illegal drug pushers.
The original report is available from the state of Florida (pdf) or our local copy.
