Table 3.
Reported and adjusted drug involvementa
| Drug category | % [95 % CI] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 2012 | |||||
| Reportedb | Adjustedc | % Differenced | Reportedb | Adjustedc | % Differenced | |
| Narcotics | 58.9 | 77.8 [76.9–78.7] | 32.2 [30.6–33.7] | 60.7 | 81.5 [80.9–82.2] | 34.3 [33.2–35.4] |
| Opioid analgesics | 23.9 | 31.3 [30.2–32.4] | 30.9 [26.2–35.6] | 38.6 | 54.3 [53.6–55.0] | 40.8 [39.0–42.5] |
| Other narcotics | 42.4 | 58.3 [57.2–59.3] | 37.6 [35.1–40.1] | 27.9 | 38.4 [37.8–39.0] | 37.7 [35.5–40.0] |
| Heroin | 11.6 | 14.1 [13.3–14.9] | 20.9 [14.2–27.7] | 14.3 | 20.0 [19.4–20.5] | 39.9 [36.2–43.6] |
| Cocaine | 22.7 | 31.1 [30.0–32.1] | 37.0 [32.4–41.6] | 10.6 | 14.9 [14.4–15.3] | 40.0 [35.5–44.5] |
| Sedatives | 9.9 | 15.6 [14.7–16.6] | 58.4 [48.8–68.0] | 18.7 | 30.0 [29.4–30.7] | 60.7 [57.1–64.2] |
| Benzodiazepines | 6.7 | 11.4 [10.6–12.3] | 69.6 [56.8–82.3] | 15.7 | 25.6 [24.9–26.2] | 62.6 [58.6–66.5] |
| Psychotropics | 14.6 | 21.2 [20.1–22.2] | 44.7 [37.7–51.7] | 18.0 | 26.0 [25.4–26.6] | 44.6 [41.2–48.0] |
| Antidepressants | 10.4 | 16.3 [15.4–17.3] | 57.1 [47.9–66.3] | 10.3 | 16.4 [15.9–17.0] | 60.2 [55.0–65.4] |
| Antipsychotics | 1.9 | 3.2 [2.7–3.7] | 68.9 [43.0–94.7] | 3.2 | 5.3 [5.0–5.6] | 65.1 [54.7–75.5] |
| Stimulants | 3.2 | 3.9 [3.4–4.4] | 19.9 [5.3–34.6] | 6.3 | 7.9 [7.5–8.3] | 24.4 [18.6–30.2] |
| Other specified | 6.9 | 8.8 [8.1–9.5] | 26.6 [16.8–36.3] | 7.6 | 10.9 [10.5–11.3] | 43.5 [37.8–49.2] |
| Unspecified | 50.3 | 35.4 [34.3–36.5] | −29.6 [−31.7 – −27.4] | 49.7 | 34.1 [33.4–34.7] | −31.4 [−32.7 – −30.2] |
| >1 Major drug classe | 18.0 | 28.6 [27.5–29.8] | 58.6 [52.2–64.9] | 26.9 | 42.8 [42.1–43.5] | 58.9 [56.3–61.5] |
aData from the Multiple Cause of Death files
bProportions from death certificate reports
cAdjusted proportions are average predicted values from probit models, where at least one specific drug is assumed to be mentioned for all poisoning deaths (SPECIFY = 1). Models also control for: sex, race (black, other), Hispanic, currently married, education (high school dropout, high school graduate, some college, college graduate), age (≤20, 21–30, 31–40, 41–50, 51–60, 61–70, 71–80, >80), day of the week of death, and census region
d% Difference between adjusted and reported proportions (calculated using more precise proportions than the rounded percentages displayed on the table)
eTwo or more of the drug types: opioid analgesics, other narcotics, sedatives, psychotropics, or other specified drugs