- (2000):
"The leading causes of death in 2000 were tobacco (435,000
deaths; 18.1% of total US deaths), poor diet and physical
inactivity (400,000 deaths; 16.6%), and alcohol consumption
(85,000 deaths; 3.5%). Other actual causes of death were
microbial agents (75,000), toxic agents (55,000), motor
vehicle crashes (43,000), incidents involving firearms
(29,000), sexual behaviors (20,000), and illicit use of
drugs (17,000)."
(Note: According to a correction published
by the Journal on Jan. 19, 2005, "On page 1240,
in Table 2, '400,000 (16.6)' deaths for 'poor diet and
physical inactivity' in 2000 should be '365,000 (15.2).'
A dagger symbol should be added to 'alcohol consumption'
in the body of the table and a dagger footnote should be
added with 'in 1990 data, deaths from alcohol-related
crashes are included in alcohol consumption deaths, but not in
motor vehicle deaths. In 2000 data, 16,653 deaths from
alcohol-related crashes are included in both alcohol consumption
and motor vehicle death categories." Source: Journal of
the American Medical Association, Jan. 19, 2005, Vol. 293, No. 3,
p. 298.)
Source: Mokdad, Ali H., PhD, James S. Marks, MD, MPH, Donna
F. Stroup, PhD, MSc, Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH,
"Actual
Causes of Death in the United States, 2000," Journal of
the American Medical Association, March 10, 2004, Vol. 291,
No. 10, pp. 1238, 1241.
-
(2000):
"Illicit drug use is associated with suicide, homicide,
motor-vehicle injury, HIV infection, pneumonia, violence, mental
illness, and hepatitis. An estimated 3 million individuals in the
United States have serious drug problems. Several studies have
reported an undercount of the number of deaths attributed to
drugs by vital statistics; however, improved medical treatments
have reduced mortality from many diseases associated with
illicit drug use. In keeping with the report by McGinnis and
Foege, we included deaths caused indirectly by illicit drug use
in this category. We used attributable fractions to compute the
number of deaths due to illicit drug use. Overall, we estimate
that illicit drug use resulted in approximately 17000 deaths in
2000, a reduction of 3000 deaths from the 1990 report."
Source: Mokdad, Ali H., PhD, James S. Marks, MD, MPH, Donna F.
Stroup, PhD, MSc, Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH,
"Actual Causes of
Death in the United States, 2000," Journal of the American Medical
Association, March 10, 2004, Vol. 291, No. 10, p. 1242.
-
(2003):
The US Centers for Disease Control reports that in 2003,
there were a total of 31,484 deaths from suicide in the US.
Source: Hoyert, Donna L., PhD, Heron, Melonie P., PhD, Murphy,
Sherry L., BS, Kung, Hsiang-Ching, PhD; Division of Vital
Statistics, "Deaths: Final Data for 2003," National Vital
Statistics Reports, Vol. 54, No. 13 (Hyattsville, MD:
National Center for Health Statistics, April 19, 2006),
p. 5, Table C.
-
(2003):
The US Centers for Disease Control reports that in 2003,
there were a total of 17,732 deaths from homicide in the US.
Source: Hoyert, Donna L., PhD, Heron, Melonie P., PhD, Murphy,
Sherry L., BS, Kung, Hsiang-Ching, PhD; Division of Vital
Statistics, "Deaths: Final Data for 2003," National Vital
Statistics Reports, Vol. 54, No. 13 (Hyattsville, MD:
National Center for Health Statistics, April 19, 2006),
p. 5, Table C.
-
(2003):
"In 2003, a total of 28,723 persons died of drug-induced
causes in the United States (Tables 21 and 22). The category
'drug-induced causes' includes not only deaths from dependent
and nondependent use of drugs (legal and illegal use), but
also poisoning from medically prescribed and other drugs.
It excludes unintentional injuries, homicides, and other
causes indirectly related to drug use. Also excluded are
newborn deaths due to mothers drug use."
Source: Hoyert, Donna L., PhD, Heron, Melonie P., PhD, Murphy,
Sherry L., BS, Kung, Hsiang-Ching, PhD; Division of Vital
Statistics, "Deaths: Final Data for 2003," National Vital
Statistics Reports, Vol. 54, No. 13 (Hyattsville, MD:
National Center for Health Statistics, April 19, 2006), p. 10.
-
(2003):
"In 2003, a total of 20,687 persons died of alcohol-induced
causes in the United States (Tables 23 and 24). The category
'alcohol-induced causes' includes not only deaths from
dependent and nondependent use of alcohol, but also accidental
poisoning by alcohol. It excludes unintentional injuries,
homicides, and other causes indirectly related to alcohol
use as well as deaths due to fetal alcohol syndrome."
Source: Hoyert, Donna L., PhD, Heron, Melonie P., PhD, Murphy,
Sherry L., BS, Kung, Hsiang-Ching, PhD; Division of Vital
Statistics, "Deaths: Final Data for 2003," National Vital
Statistics Reports, Vol. 54, No. 13 (Hyattsville, MD:
National Center for Health Statistics, April 19, 2006), p. 10.
- (1996):
"Each year, use of NSAIDs
(Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs)
accounts for an estimated 7,600 deaths and 76,000
hospitalizations in
the United States."
(NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen,
diclofenac, ketoprofen, and tiaprofenic acid.)
Source: Robyn Tamblyn, PhD;
Laeora Berkson, MD, MHPE, FRCPC; W. Dale
Jauphinee, MD, FRCPC; David Gayton, MD, PhD, FRCPC;
Roland Grad, MD,
MSc; Allen Huang, MD, FRCPC;
Lisa Isaac, PhD; Peter McLeod, MD, FRCPC;
and Linda Snell, MD, MHPE, FRCPC,
"Unnecessary Prescribing of NSAIDs
and the Management of NSAID-Related Gastropathy
in Medical Practice,"
Annals of Internal Medicine
(Washington, DC: American College of
Physicians, 1997), September 15, 1997,
127:429-438, from the web athttp://www.acponline.org/journals/annals/15sep97/nsaid.htm,
last
accessed Feb. 14, 2001, citing Fries, JF,
"Assessing and understanding
patient risk," Scandinavian Journal of
Rheumatology Supplement,
1992;92:21-4.
- (Average 1982-1998):
According to Canadian researchers, approximately 32,000 hospitalized
patients (and possibly as many as 106,000) in the USA die each year
because of adverse reactions to their prescribed medications.
Source: Lazarou, J, Pomeranz, BH, Corey, PN,
"Incidence of adverse
drug reactions in hospitalized patients: a
meta-analysis of prospective
studies," Journal of the American Medical Association
(Chicago, IL:
American Medical Association, 1998),
1998;279:1200-1205, also letters
column,
"Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitalized Patients," JAMA
(Chicago, IL: AMA, 1998), Nov. 25, 1998,
Vol. 280, No. 20, from the
web athttp://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v280n20/ffull/jlt1125-1.html,
last accessed Feb. 12, 2001.
-
An exhaustive search of the literature finds no credible reports of
deaths induced by
marijuana. The US Drug Abuse Warning Network
(DAWN) records instances of
drug mentions in medical examiners' reports,
and though marijuana is
mentioned, it is usually in combination with
alcohol or other drugs.
Marijuana alone has not been shown to
cause an overdose death.
Source: Drug Abuse Warning Network
(DAWN), available on the web at
http://www.samhsa.gov/;
also see Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr.,
and John A. Benson, Jr.,
"Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science
Base,"
Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research, Institute of
Medicine (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1999),
available on
the web athttp://www.nap.edu/html/marimed/;
and US Department of
Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration,
"In the Matter of Marijuana
Rescheduling Petition"
(Docket #86-22), September 6, 1988, p. 57.
