Drug Deaths in St. Louis City and County: A Brief Survey, 1977-1979

Abstract
The vast majority of drug deaths in St. Louis City and County through 1977-1979 were of adults who ingested multiple drugs with suicidal intent. In this 3-yr survey, 7 deaths were due to accidental overdose of ethanol, 7 to over-the-counter products or laboratory reagents, 8 from classic poisons, and only 8 to drug abuse. The remaining 117 deaths (80%) resulted from ingestion of legally obtained prescription drugs. Of all deaths, 62% were due to multiple drug administration. Only 1 child was fatally poisoned. Barbiturates, benzodiazepines, ethanol, propoxyphene and tricyclic antidepressants were the most common agents encountered.