CDC Finds Dramatic Rise in Drug DeathsFeb 9, 2007 | AP The
number of accidental drug overdose deaths rose from 11,155 in
1999 to 19,838 in 2004, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. The report was based on death
certificates, which do not clearly detail which drugs played the
greatest role. But CDC researchers said they believe sedatives
and prescription painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin were the
chief cause of the increase. OxyContin has been blamed for
hundreds of deaths across the country in recent years, becoming
such a scourge in Appalachia that it is known as "hillbilly
heroin." Deaths from falls climbed between 1999 and 2004 at a
more modest rate, from 13,162 to 18,807, the CDC said. Motor
vehicle crashes accounted for 40,965 fatalities in 1999 and
43,432 in 2004. The South had one of the lowest fatal drug
overdose rates in the nation in 1999, but it doubled by 2004.
The South now ties the West for having the highest rate about 8
per 100,000 population. "This is the first s