NCJ Number
177962
Journal
Drug and Alcohol Review Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: March 1999 Pages: 39-45
Date Published
1999
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Coronial files of all 176 heroin-related fatalities that occurred in the South Western Sydney (SWS) region of Australia between 1992 and 1996 were inspected to describe demographic characteristics and circumstances of heroin-related deaths, assess toxicological findings at autopsy, and identify trends in fatalities across the period.
Abstract
There was a 170-percent increase in heroin-related fatalities in the SWS region during the 5-year period. The mean age of those who died was 29.6 years; only 6 percent of cases involved persons under 20 years of age. About 89 percent of cases involved males, 62 percent involved single persons, and 77 percent involved unemployed persons. Almost all cases involved known heroin users, 33 percent were heavy alcohol users, and 25 percent were benzodiazepine users. Seventy percent of deaths occurred in public places, while 26 percent occurred at home and 13 percent occurred in the home of a friend or a family member. The day on which deaths most frequently occurred was Thursday. The route of heroin administration was by injection in all but one case. The median total blood morphine concentration of cases was 0.34 mg/l, and morphine was the only drug detected in 33 percent of cases. Alcohol was detected at autopsy in 40 percent of cases, and benzodiazepines were detected in 30 percent of cases. In 78 percent of cases, the cause of death was attributed solely to acute narcotism. Implications of the findings are discussed and compared with previous research. 27 references, 2 tables, and 4 figures