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JAMA. 2005;293:1182-1183.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

MMWR. 2005;54:33-36

1 figure, 2 tables omitted

Deaths caused by drug poisoning of unintentional and undetermined intent are an increasing problem in Utah and elsewhere in the United States.¹ To characterize the trend in drug-poisoning deaths in Utah, CDC and the Utah Department of Health analyzed medical examiner (ME) data for 1991-1998 and 1999-2003. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which determined that, during 1991-2003, the number of Utah residents dying from all drug poisoning increased nearly fivefold, from 79 deaths in 1991 (rate: 4.4 per 100,000 population) to 391 deaths in 2003 (rate: 16.6). This increase has been largely the result of the tripling of the rate (from 1.5 during 1991-1998 to 4.4 during 1999-2003) in poisoning deaths of unintentional or undetermined intent caused by non-illicit drugs (i.e., medications that can be legally prescribed) (Figure). Further study is needed to understand these trends and to develop strategies . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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