Drug overdose deaths have declined 27% in last 2 years in NYC

From Thaindian News on March 2, 2010

A new Health Department report informed that drug overdose deaths have declined 27% in two years, the lowest level in New York City since 1999. The New York City Health Department announced on Monday.

Despite the fall in the drug-related fatalities, drug overdose still remains as the third leading cause of premature death among New Yorkers between 25 to 34 years old. Survey data also informs that nearly a million New Yorkers used illicit drugs during the last year.

Marijuana is the city’s most commonly used illicit drug, but most of the severe health consequences result from cocaine and opioids, which include heroin and pain relievers. Nearly a tenth of hospital admissions are drug related. Cocaine is the leading cause of drug-related emergency-department visits and hospitalizations, followed by heroin and other opioids; but opioids are involved in more fatalities.

The reason for the decline in overdose deaths isn’t clear. Some initiatives may have influenced, such as the law established in 2006 to distribute naloxone within high-risk populations. Naloxone is a highly effective antidote to opioid overdose that can be life-saving when administered promptly.

Be careful if you are taking Darvon or Darvacet

Reuters Health reported on July 7, 2009, that the FDA is requiring stronger warnings for Darvon and Darvocet. Both drugs addicting and prone to abuse contributing to overdose deaths. Here is the snippet from the Reuters Health Article:

U.S. regulators on Tuesday ordered stronger warnings about overdoses with the painkilling drugs Darvon and Darvocet and rejected a consumer group's call for a ban of the medicines.

The action applies to drugs made with propoxyphene, the pain-killing ingredient in privately held Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc's Darvon and Darvocet and generic medicines.

Propoxyphene has been on the market since 1957.

The Food and Drug Administration said it was requiring tougher, boxed warnings on the medicines because of reports of accidental and intentional overdoses, including some that were fatal.

Drugs kill - 22 year old Britisn man dies from cirrohsis

From News Com.au

"A 22-year-old British man who became an alcoholic as a teenager has died after doctors refused to give him a liver transplant.

Gary Reinbach began binge drinking when he was just 13 and ended up with severe cirrhosis of the liver.

He was admitted to a London hospital in May but died after doctors refused to give him a liver transplant amid fears he would not stay sober for six months after the operation.

Mr Reinbach's distraught mother Madeline Reinbach said her son had been in great pain and scared before his life support machine was turned off on Sunday."

It reminds me once again that here at GCASA we are treating terminal illnesses and many of our clients, untreated, would die from their disease. 22 is way too young to die.

Thanks to John Walker, LMSW, CASAC, an Assistant Director For Treatment at GCASA, for bringing this tragic story to my attention.

Accidental drug overdoses is the leading accidental cause of death in white men between the ages of 35 and 54

Accidental drug overdose is the leading cause of death by accident of white men between the ages of 35 - 54. 26,000 Americans die every year from accidental drug overdoses. The main culprit is opioid prescription drugs.

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Drugs kill at Hobart in Geneva, NY

From the Democrat and Chronicle on May 15, 2009

Two Hobart and William Smith Colleges students who supplied alcohol to underage drinkers at a party where a student died are facing a possible one-year sentence.

Bradley T. Hester, 22, and Matthew T. Smalley, 23, both pleaded guilty to first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child in Geneva City Court Thursday. Judge Elisabeth Toole scheduled sentencing for Aug. 6.

Hester and Smalley, both senior lacrosse players at the school, live at 9 Cortland St., Geneva, where they hosted a party for the team on Jan. 30. Hester is from Haymarket, Va. Smalley is from Cumberland, R.I.

Warren Kimber IV, 20, of Summit, N.J., a member of the team, was found dead in Smalley's bedroom at the house on Jan. 31. Kimber died from a combination of alcohol and the pain killer oxycodone. Kimber's blood-alcohol content was 0.29 percent.

There have been 2 college students in the Rochester area who have killed themselves in 2009 so far from alcohol overdoses.

These unnecessary deaths are one of the reasons that GCASA Supports 21 and is opposed to lowering the drinking age. Some of us who daily witness the death, injury, destruction, assault, rape, and ruined lives, jokingly say that the legal drinking age should be raised to 35.

This is article #19 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Drugs kill - Joseph Mueller, Aquinas senior

Aquinas Senior, Joseph Mueller, 17, was killed on March 28, 2009 in a drunk driving crash in which the driver of the car in which he was riding was driving drunk.

17-year-old Aquinas senior Joseph Mueller from Greece died in a car accident early Saturday morning.Greece Police responded to the report of a crash on Ling Road at around 2 a.m. Officers said when they arrived they found three people that had been in a rollover accident. Police say the car left the roadway, hit a tree, overturned and hit a porch of a home at 94 Ling Road. We are told Mueller who was riding as a passenger, was ejected from the vehicle. He was later pronounced dead at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Police charged the driver, 18-year-old Tia Gerstner of Cherry Road in Rochester with driving while intoxicated and failing to maintain a lane. She suffered minor injuries. A third passenger, 21-year-old William Kent also sustained minor injuries.

For more of this story and video click here.

This is article #18 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Drugs kill - Dolphins fan kills father and 2 year old daughter after Dolphins game

From the Miami Dolphins Examiner on March 26, 2009.

This is a story that could be in any NFL town, on any given Sunday. But in this instance, it’s a closing chapter to a sad South Florida story. And, God knows, there are at least one of those every day.

This is the story of David Whiting, a middle-aged fan from West Palm Beach driving drunk on his way home from a Dolphins game on Nov. 19, 2006.
This is also the story of the crash Whiting caused that day on I-95 that killed Barry Mazer, a family man from Boca Raton, and his 2-year-old daughter Sydney. Three other very young Mazer children survived the crash. They were on their way home from a family outing. Mazer's final words were said to be: "Please, save the children."
In the bigger picture, it's an example of the dirty, little not-so-secret behavior of binge drinking at NFL games.

...
One paramedic said in the courtroom as Whiting’s sentencing phase began that at the scene Whiting cared only that the Dolphins had won the game he attended. A Broward forensic toxicologist testified that judging from the blood-alcohol test administered to Whiting that Whiting must have consumed 10-11 beers. Another paramedic said that he heard Whiting on the telephone with his mother, letting her know he wouldn’t make dinner, had gotten into an accident and “somebody died… but at least the Dolphins won.”

Mazer family members said in court that Whiting has been in jail since June 2007 because of a subsequent DUI charge while out of jail on bond for the DUI fatalities. He faces a minimum of 30-plus years and could get life. He pleaded no contest to multiple charges and leaves his fate to the judge. [UPDATE: The judge sentenced Whiting to 35 years in prison on Friday.]

You can read more by clicking here.

Fans have been killed after Buffalo Bills games in DWI crashes as well. NFL binge drinking continues to be a big problem.

This is article #17 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Drugs kill - Anna Nicole Smith

Attorney General Jerry Brown holds press conference describing the charges brought against Anna Nicole Smith's attorney and doctors for prescribing the drugs which killed her.

Video lasts 1:45



This is article #16 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Prescription drug overdoses kill more people in Florida than illicit drug overdoses.

Dr. Stephen R. West, a cardiologist and President of the Florida State Medical Association had an interesting editorial in the Tallahasee paper today, March 20, 2009. Here is part of what Dr. West's editorial reads:

Florida's rates of prescription drug abuse have skyrocketed to the point that prescription drug overdose deaths surpass the number of all illicit drug overdose deaths combined. Every day, five to seven Floridians die as a direct result of prescription drug overdoses. Drug diversion and "doctor shopping" are at the heart of this unfortunate trend, and the more prescribers in the market, the greater the potential for abuse of the system.

You can read the rest of the article by clicking here.

This is article #15 in a series on Drugs kill.

Anna Nicole Smith's psychiatrist arrested for prescribing drugs which killed her.

Anna Nicole Smith's psychiatrist, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, turns herself in to police to face charges on over prescribing drugs that contributed to Smith's overdose which caused her death.

From the Huffington Post:

Psychiatrist Khristine Eroshevich surrendered Monday to face charges of excessively prescribing drugs to Anna Nicole Smith before the former model's overdose death at 39.

Eroshevich turned herself in at the Van Nuys police station, said police spokeswoman Rosario Herrera.

She was released several hours later after posting $20,000 bail, according to a statement from her attorney Adam Braun's office.

After a lengthy investigation by the attorney general and other state and federal agencies, Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Eroshevich last week with conspiring with another doctor, Sandeep Kapoor, and Smith's lawyer-turned-boyfriend Howard K. Stern to provide Smith with thousands of prescription pills.

You can read the whole story by clicking here.

This is article #14 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Drugs kill - Anna Nicole Smith

As substance abuse professionals we sometimes refer to addiction as a "family disease". It is of interest that Anna Nicole Smith and her son both died from overdoses. On Thursday, March 12, 2009 both Anna's attorney and lover, and two doctors where charged with "conspiracy" in providing Anna with drugs that killed her.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The longtime companion of Anna Nicole Smith and two psychiatrists were charged on Thursday with conspiring to furnish drugs to the former Playboy playmate in the years before her 2007 death from a prescription medication overdose.

Howard Stern, an attorney, and doctors Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich were each charged with a single count of conspiracy, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said. Other charges were filed for unlawfully prescribing opiates and other controlled substances.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown said the trio furnished thousands of prescription pills to Smith, "often for no legitimate medical purpose."

"There is ample evidence that Doctor Eroshevich and Doctor Kapoor violated their ethical obligations as physicians, while Mr. Stern funneled highly addictive drugs to Ms. Smith," Brown said.

The charges say they allegedly furnished drugs to Smith between June 2004 and January 26, 2007.

The famously blond and buxom Smith died at age 39 in Hollywood, Florida, on February 8, 2007, of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs shortly after the birth of her daughter and the death of her son, who also died of a drug overdose.

This is article #13 in a series on Drugs Kill

Drugs killed two innocent children 16 years ago today

16 years ago today, March 10, 1993, a 3 time DWI offender killed Brigid Kathleen Markham age 5, and Ryan John Patrick Markham age 8 on Rt. 31 between Brockport and Spencerport, NY. If they were alive today Brigid would be 21 and Ryan would be 24.

David Markham, their father, is the Executive Director of GCASA. They are survived by their mother, Angela, and 7 siblings: 2 brothers, Michael and Joseph, and 5 sisters, Katie, Kelly, Colleen, Mary, and Maureen. They would be the sister and brother in law to Paul, Diane, Will, Greg, Rodney and another Paul. They would be the aunt or uncle to Haley, Aeris, Annelise, Aidan, Rowan, Rory, Caleb, Sophie, Ella, Atticus, Donavan, and John Patrick.

Click on image to enlarge for easier viewing.

Drugs kill - Man killed in Cheetowaga March 7 by drunk driver.

A 44-year-old Cheektowaga man was killed early Saturday in the Bailey- Clinton neighborhood when his car was struck by another car operated by a drunken driver, police said.

To read the Buffalo News story click here.

This is article #11 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Drugs Kill - Drinking yourself to death with the help of "friends".

From NBC, Channel 10 News:

GENESEO, N.Y. -- State Police have released toxicology results taken from a SUNY Geneseo student who died after several days of binge drinking.

Arman Partamian, 19, is said to have had a blood alcohol level of .55, nearly seven times the legal limit in New York State.

Partamian was found dead inside a frat House Sunday morning. Troopers suspect the student may have been binge drinking as a way to pledge the fraternity.

This is article #10 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Drugs kill - Maddie Keiffer, 15 year old high school freshman dead from overdose over weekend

15 year old high school Freshman, Maddie Keiffer, died of drug overdose over the weekend. Here is part of the report from March 3, 2009 from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin:

MILWAUKEE COUNTY - As parents dropped their children off at Whitefish Bay High School Tuesday, they were reminded that suburbia is not immune to drug abuse.

"It's just a shock, it's a shock for all the parents,” said parent Jacqueline Carter-Matsapola.

She and others are shocked after hearing about the death of 15-year old Maddie Kiefer. She died over the weekend from what appears to be a drug overdose.

Family friends can't believe it.

You can read the whole story by clicking here.

To watch the TV News video click here

This is article #8 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Death by alcohol

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Drugs kill - Heath Ledger

Keith Ledger who died last year from a drug overdose received a posthmous Oscar on Sunday night, February 22, 2009, for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the Joke in The Dark Knight a Batman movie.

Reuters published this article yesterday, February 23, 2009.

Heath Ledger won the best supporting actor Oscar on Sunday for his performance as The Joker in Batman movie "The Dark Knight," with the award hailed a fitting tribute for the Australian actor who died a year ago.

Ledger, 28, who was found dead in his New York apartment 13 months ago after an accidental prescription drug overdose, was the hot favourite to win the award which made him only the second actor to receive a posthumous Oscar.

This is article #6 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Drugs kill - 24 year old 5 month pregnant mother and her husband killed in DUI crash in Illinois

The Associated Press reported on 02/23/09 that a 24 year old pregnant woman and her husband were killed in a DUI crash in Illinois.

Here is the article:

FAIRMONT CITY, Ill. (AP) -- Madison County authorities have charged two people with driving under the influence of alcohol in a three-vehicle collision that took the lives of a Granite City couple and their unborn child.

Illinois State Police say Lindsey Arnold-Zimmer, 24, who was 5-months pregnant, was driving southbound on Illinois Highway 111 near Fairmont City on Saturday afternoon, when her car was rear-ended by a Corvette driven by Donald Canterberry, 56, also of Granite City.

Officers say the impact drove Arnold-Zimmer's car into the path of a pickup driven by a third Granite City resident, Tiffany Orgara, 27.

Arnold-Zimmer and her husband, Adam Zimmer, 26, were killed in the crash.

Canterberry and Orgara, who suffered only minor injuries, were both charged Sunday with DUI.

Tonight GCASA's Victim Impact Panel meets at the City Centre in downtown Batavia, NY. I will speaking on the panel about the deaths of my two children. There will be other panelists as well. My kids were killed on March 10, 1993 in the Town Of Ogden between Brockport and Spencerport, NY.

Americans don't seem to understand that they don't need to worry about being killed by terrorists. It is much more likely they will be killed by one of their neighbors driving drunk. We can spend a trillion dollars on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq but can't clean up the carnage in our own country. As Pogo said years ago, "I have seen the enemy and it is us."

This is article #5 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Drugs kill - 760 pepple in Washington State died from drug overdoses in 2007

On February 19, 2009, NWCN.com news reported the following in part:

In 2007, more than 760 people died in Washington state from overdoses. That includes 16-year-old Danielle McCarthy from Puyallup, who died after taking Ecstacy. The other teens she was with claimed they were too scared to get her help until it was too late.

Stories like McCarthy’s have prompted lawmakers to push for the passage of a bill to give legal immunity to anyone who calls 911 when witnessing a drug overdose.

To read the rest of the story click here.



This is article #4 in a series on Drugs Kill.

Drugs not only kill, they injure.

Scott DeSmit wrote an article about the aftermath of a DWI motorcycle accident in LeRoy back in July 2007 in the Saturday Daily News on 02/21/09. Barb Walters the victim is only 5% of what she used to be according to her brother. Here is part of what he wrote:

He didn't and no one will ever know if those lost minutes could have spared Barbara and her family from what they now face.

She spent four months at Strong Memorial Hospital and for the past year has been living at a long-care facility at Monroe Community Hospital.

"She still can't walk or talk or feed herself," Ron Walters told me. "She is 100 percent dependent on someone else's ability to care for her. She is 5 percent of what she used to be. She was very active, working two, three jobs, just crazy active."

And now the only activity she gets is when someone pushes her around in a wheelchair.

Her only daughter, Danielle, celebrated her 21st birthday in her mother's room, not at the party her mother had planned for her.

To read the whole article, click here.