N.H. AUTHORITIES SEE SHARP RISE IN DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS

CONCORD, N.H. --A steep rise in drug overdose deaths has state health
officials worried.

Dr. Thomas Andrew, the state's chief medical examiner, said his
records show 39 drug overdoses in 1995 compared with 153 in 2005.

"There was a time when we thought drug overdose deaths were going to
exceed traffic deaths in New Hampshire, but drivers sort of sunk to
the challenge," Andrew said, noting the increase in motor vehicle
fatalities, which hit 171 in 2004.

Opiates remain the leading cause of fatal overdoses, and methadone
has become the single biggest killer, topping even heroin, Andrew said.

"Methadone is driving this bus," Andrew said. "Methadone has emerged
as public enemy number one."

Methadone accounted for 23 of the fatal overdoses last year, and it
was present in the bloodstream of an additional 52 overdose victims,
Andrew's records show.

Andrew said most methadone abused by addicts comes from Internet
sales and not from addiction-treatment clinics.

"The source of methadone are the pills and tablets that are either
being dispensed for treatment of chronic pain, or theyre being
illicitly obtained from the Internet or other means," Andrew said.

Heroin overdose is identified in very few deaths, but that's likely
because it's hard to detect, Andrew said. The human body quickly
converts heroin, he said, but it's believed to be behind most of the
unclassified opiate deaths.

While health officials and law enforcement are focusing attention on
methamphetamine, there was only one death attributed to the drug last
year. But statistics from other states suggest police and prosecutors
are right to worry, Andrew said.

"It is an exceedingly dangerous drug," Andrew said. "If
methamphetamine manages to take hold here as it has in other
jurisdictions, we'll have big problems."

Prescription drugs also account for a large number of deaths, Andrew said.

That led to a proposal last year to monitor prescriptions to prevent
people from visiting multiple doctors to get many prescriptions for
the same drug.

The legislation was sent back to a committee of lawmakers for further
study and may return as a new bill next year.

Andrew said prescription drug monitoring would help reduce drug
overdose deaths in the state.

Maine and Massachusetts already have such systems in place, and
Vermont recently approved a program, he said.