http://www.14news.com/story/37924577/study-indiana-under-counting-overdose-death
INDIANA (WFIE) –
More and more people say they’re aware of the opioid crisis and think it’s a serious problem.
A new survey by the Associated Press found 13% of Americans say they’ve had a loved one die from an overdose. However, that number might be even bigger than that.
The entire state of Indiana is seriously under-counting it’s opioid deaths, according to Indiana University Researcher, Brad Ray.
Over a six-year period, Ray looked at toxicology reports from the Marion County Coroner’s Office, where he found 918 deaths involved heroin and a significant increase in accidental overdose deaths involving both heroin and fentanyl.
Ray told the Indianapolis NBC affiliate, WTHR, that about 80% of the deaths labeled as ‘unspecified’ actually had an opioid present. If you include those opioid-involved deaths there is a much higher number of opioid overdose deaths in Marion County and the state.
Sometimes more than double the number.
Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear said reported opioid deaths in Evansville don’t follow that pattern.
“Our initial screening is for over 300 drugs and now that’s expanded to over 500 or 600 drugs, including synthetics and K2’s and the bath salts,” said Lockyear. “These are vast, very expansive drug testing we do here in Vanderburgh County. We have no problem doing that, we’ve always done that.”
A new law requiring coroners test for opioid overdoses in suspicious deaths was just signed by Governor Eric Holcomb.
It allows for funding for extra toxicology tests from the state’s coroner training fund and requires data be sent to State Department of Health.
According to the coroner’s office, Vanderburgh County spent at least $200,000 last year investigating drug-related deaths. Those numbers do not include people who die from natural disease due to drug abuse
IMO.. it would seem that Indiana is using “qualitative toxicology” – just if a specific substance is present to declare a death a “opiate related death” as opposed to a “quantitative toxicology” which would determine the CONCENTRATION of a particular substance.
The typical OD has 4-7 different substances in their toxicology and with these new guidelines in Indiana… all that is needed is for the mere PRESENCE of a opiate in toxicology to declare the cause of death to be “opiate related”
Apparently Indiana will do just about any “slight of hand trick” to raise the “opiate related deaths” in the state… MORE FEDERAL MONEY TO FIGHT THE WAR ON DRUGS ? You notice that they are now using the “new terminology” that these deaths are not “accidental”… just opiate related.
Filed under: General Problems
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