Politics & Government

Spike in Young People Dying of Heroin Overdoses in San Diego County

The Medical Examiner's Office reports that there were more of these deaths in 2010 than in the previous 10 years.

Heroin was the most common substance found in drug/medication deaths of people under 30 in San Diego County in 2010.

It’s a spike that alarms Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Jonathan Lucas.

“This included seven teenage deaths,” he said at a news conference Thursday. See the attached video.

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Heroin slows the respiratory system, he said. People who die from it have usually taken too much because they don’t realize the purity that exists now.

“They fall asleep and they go into a coma,” he said.

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Lucas said methamphetamine is still the biggest illegal drug problem in the county. However, heroin has the added aspect that people transition to it from prescription drug addiction because it’s cheaper, he said. Lucas said that’s part of the reason behind the spike.

The Medical Examiner’s Office released its annual report Thursday. It shows that cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death in the county. Drug and medication deaths rank second.

Accidental falls moved up to the third spot. This is to be expected in an aging population, the Medical Examiner’s Office noted, and the trend will likely grow.

Suicides dropped to the fourth spot but are still up compared to the first half of the last decade. The number of homicides in 2010 was reported to be the lowest in 20 years.

One interesting statistic that might be a sign of the economy — motor vehicle deaths have shown a marked decrease since 2009.

This coincides with the rise in gas prices, the Medical Examiner’s Office noted.


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