Thanks to one of my regular readers in sending me this information… It seems to validate what I have said all along … it is easier for a death by drug overdose as determined by the toxicology report… without any other evidence.. is to be declared as a “accidental death”. How many of the reported 37 K “accidental death by drug overdose” was in fact a suicide. Some have suggested that >50% of these deaths were in fact suicides. It is a fact that chronic pain pts are twice as likely to commit suicide… from under treated pain, depression, anxiety ? So is the DEA using death data to justify continuing the war on drugs.. when the actions of the DEA may be a contributing factor to a large number of these deaths.
National Association of Medical Examiners Position Paper: Recommendations for the Investigation, Diagnosis and Certification of Deaths Related to Opioid Drugs
https://netforum.avectra.com/temp/ClientImages/NAME/a8f3230e-d063-4681-8678-e3d15ce9effb.pdf
Manner of Death
Drug-related deaths are often complex, requiring
thorough investigation. This investigative
information is then used in conjunction with the
results of the autopsy and toxicological testing
to determine a manner of death, whether accident,
suicide, or homicide. The
determination of suicide on appropriate investigative
information and postmortem findings and
be able to defend this determination. Published
guidelines from the CDC indicate that in a suicide
the fatal injury must be consistent with being
self inflicted and that there should be indication
of intent of self-harm (28, 29). By these
criteria, intentional misuse of opioids in excess
amounts for self-treatment or for the sensations
that the drugs cause, while dangerous, does not
by itself constitute a suicide. At the same time,
assigning “undetermined” as the manner of death
as a matter of course for deaths due to intoxication
does not serve the public good, nor does this
practice support efforts to intervene and prevent
future intoxication deaths of a similar sort. The
panel recommends classifying deaths from the
misuse or abuse of opioids without any apparent
intent of self-harm as “accident.” Reserve “undetermined”
as the manner for the rare cases in
which evidence exists to support more than one
possible determination, that is, where some evidence
suggests accident and other evidence suggests
suicide or homicide.
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