LANE COUNTY HEROIN DEATHS DROP IN 2001

Heroin deaths fell last year in Lane County for the second year in a
row, but overall drug-related deaths increased and include a troubling
trend of people dying from methadone overdoses, statistics released
Tuesday showed.

The fewer heroin deaths - 12 last year compared with 20 in 2000 and a
record 34 in 1999 - is welcome news, said C.A. Baskerville, the
county's health and human services prevention coordinator.

That's the lowest number in nearly a decade, despite the plentiful and
cheap heroin supply in the area, officials said.

Baskerville credited the drop to a multimillion-dollar federal grant
that opened up hundreds of treatment spots and the creation of a
community heroin task force that brought together prevention and
treatment specialists, educators, juvenile justice authorities and
police.

"It hadn't existed before and people were working in isolation, but
for the last two years people have been working together and sharing
information about what they're working on and what they're seeing,"
Baskerville said.

"So, suddenly we have the juvenile justice system working together,
education-based prevention efforts working together and we have
treatment providers working together with prevention. I think those
are significant changes."

Methamphetamine-related deaths also dropped last year: five compared
with eight in 2000 and one in 1999, according to statistics from the
county medical examiner's office.

But the total number of drug-related deaths increased from 41 to
50.

The biggest increase came in deaths caused by a combination of
prescription medication and illegal drugs - 17 last year compared with
one in 2000.

The overall figure includes a puzzling rise: an increase in
methadone-related overdoses. There were 12 last year compared with
nine in 2000 and one in 1999.

Methadone is a prescription medication commonly used in a liquid form
to treat heroin addiction or prescribed as a pill to treat pain. Its
use is on the rise as more treatment clinics prescribe it.

"It's definitely an area of concern," Deputy Medical Examiner Frank
Ratti said. "The heroin task force is looking at it."

DRUG DEATH STATISTICS

Lane County 2001: Heroin 12; methamphetamine 5; methadone 12; cocaine
0; combination 17; alcohol 1; other 3; total 50.

Lane County 2000: Heroin 20; meth 8; methadone 9; cocaine 3;
combination 1; total 41.

*Oregon 2001: Heroin 95; meth 50; cocaine 48; combo 35; total
155.

*Oregon 2000: Heroin 130; meth 56; cocaine 68; combo 42; total
209.
*Statewide figures add up to more than the totals because many of the
overdoses included more than one drug.