Friday, October 02, 2009
Methadone Deaths Increase As Prescriptions Increase
According to data collected through the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting System, better known as the prescription tracking system KASPER, the rate of issued prescriptions for controlled substances increased in all but two of Kentucky's 120 counties between the years of 2005 and 2007. Crittenden and Union counties were the only two that did not show an increase. Reports show that, for the period, drug arrests increased by nearly 30%. In 2008, 485 overdose deaths were reported, with methadone, a painkiller intended to treat narcotic withdrawal, detected in 144 of those deaths.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 7:17 AM 
