DEATHS FROM ABUSE OF OXYCONTIN, HYDROCODONE SKYROCKETING

TALLAHASSEE - The number of people dying in Florida after abusing two
popular prescription drugs skyrocketed in the first half of the year,
according to a report prepared by the state's medical examiners.

But fatalities blamed on cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and other
illegal drugs either dropped or stayed the same when compared to the last
six months of 2000.

The Florida Medical Examiners Commission's report, "Drugs Identified in
Deceased Persons," said deaths caused by lethal amounts of oxycodone and/or
hydrocodone increased from 152 to 217 - a jump of 43 percent.

Of those 217 deaths, 23 people had lethal doses of both oxycodone and
hydrocodone present. Accordingly, there were 165 lethal occurrences of
oxycodone and 75 lethal occurrences of hydrocodone, which accounts for 240
occurrences altogether.

OxyContin - of which oxycodone is the active ingredient - is the nation's
top-selling narcotic painkiller and hydrocodone is its chemical cousin. It
is a 12-hour, time-released medication meant for sufferers of severe
chronic pain.

Addicts crush the tablets to circumvent the time release designed to
provide long-lasting pain control. The powder is injected or snorted for a
quick high.

"Unfortunately, not just our state, but our nation as a whole is
experiencing an increase in deaths related to oxycodone and hydrocodone,
Commissioner Tim Moore said. "This report should draw our attention to
those drugs which are not the traditional problems in the State of Florida."

As for illegal drugs, that problem appears to have recently leveled off.

The number of deaths in which heroin was found in the body dropped 2.7
percent, from 150 to 146, when compared to the same six-month period a year
ago. The presence of cocaine in fatalities also fell slightly, dropping
from 508 to 499.