OVERDOSE FATALITIES CONSTANT

Good news about fewer deaths from illegal drug overdoses in Oregon
apparently stops at the Lane County line.

In a midyear report released earlier this week by the state medical
examiner's office, 19 people died from drug overdoses in Lane County, the
exact number of deaths as last year at this time. The county, however, did
report seven fewer heroin-related deaths.

Oregon saw a 32 percent decrease from January through June in overall
overdose deaths from heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and combinations of
drugs and alcohol, said Lane County Deputy Medical Examiner Frank Ratti.

While heroin-related deaths - which include accidental overdoses,
combinations of drugs in which heroin is the primary factor and methadone
overdoses - may have decreased in Lane County, it's still the No. 1 killer
in the state with 68 deaths.

The drug is cheap, readily available and is imported via the Interstate 5
corridor from Mexico and South America. A record number of deaths along the
corridor in Portland and Seattle prompted two studies by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.

Studies show that while heroin overdoses have risen across the country, a
dramatic jump has occurred in Portland and Seattle.

The drug-related death rate may be down, but drug use is holding steady,
said Eugene Police Sgt. Lee Thoming, supervisor for the Interagency
Narcotics Emergency Team.

"My impression from the last few years is that it's a slowly growing
problem," he said. "I think in Eugene there are a lot of well-trained
paramedics who are quick to use the Narcam, or our death rate would be
three times higher."

Mike Anderson, a paramedic with the Eugene Fire Department, agreed. Narcam,
a medical drug which reverses the effects of any opiate overdose, may have
caused a reduction. For the first six months of this year, paramedics have
administered Narcam 83 times.

"We don't give this if they are sitting there talking to us," Anderson
said. "They are having a life-threatening overdose."

Anderson said he remembers when there were only a handful of heroin overdoses.

"I remember seeing the numbers climb - from five to six, seven, eight - to
what they are now," Anderson said. "So, if there's a slight dip now, it's
still outrageously high.

Ratti said he is not sure of the reason for the decline, but it may be
related to the supply or the cost of illegal drugs. In Lane County, Ratti
said that users' tastes fluctuate - heroin is more popular at times and
methamphetamine popular at other times.

In fact, six deaths have been attributed to meth overdoses this year while
there were none in 1999. There were 18 meth overdoses in other counties.

But for the rest of the state, cocaine seems to be more popular than meth,
claiming 27 lives outside of Lane County compared to three within the
county lines.

More social services, such as HIV Alliance needle exchanges and greater
publicity about the dangers of drugs, may have contributed to the decrease,
said Linda Eaton, the director of the county's methadone program.

"I don't think there has been a significant drop in the number of drug
users," Eaton said. The methadone program continues to have 15 to 25 people
on its waiting list.

Bob Richards, the director of the Buckley House, Eugene's only detox
center, said his facility has not seen any fewer clients in recent months.
However, he said, addicts now have more places to seek treatment and that
may have had an impact. Two new methadone clinics are expected to open in
the near future, he said.

Integrated Health Clinics, on East 12th Avenue across the street from White
Bird, is expected to open within the next two weeks.

Mars Clinics Inc. is the other. Neither has received final approval from
the state to open yet.

Prevention measures and increased law enforcement also may contribute to
the decrease in drug-related deaths, said Eugene Police Lt. Pete Kerns, who
worked with the city's heroin task force.

There has been a town hall meeting on drugs, an increase in the number of
radio and TV public service announcements and a summit in April that
brought together a number of groups to talk about how the community can
better deal with meth and heroin problems in Lane County, he said.

"I'm pleasantly surprised," Kerns said. "It's not like building a dam where
you are certain that no more water will flow through."MIDYEAR DRUG DEATH
STATISTICS

Lane County 2000 : Heroin 12; Cocaine 3; Meth 6; Combo 2; Total 19.

Lane County 1999: Heroin 19; Total 19.

Oregon 2000: Heroin 68; Cocaine 30; Meth 24; Combo 20; Total 101.

Oregon 1999: Heroin 119; Cocaine 42; Meth 23; Combo 34; Total 148.

- - Oregon State Medical Examiner and Lane County Medical Examiner