Maybe They Just Like the Way it Smells
People are getting wasted on cocaine again. Science Blog reports on data from the University of Florida that may suggest a coming epidemic:
Oh man, that sounds bad. But Congress will probably think of something. Maybe we’re not being tough enough on cocaine dealers.
And we should warn kids about the dangers of marijuana, which could be causing the cocaine abuse.
Like some drug déjà vu, cocaine use is once again on the rise among students and the rich and famous, a trend University of Florida researchers say likely signals a recurring epidemic of abuse.
…
"Our data is closest to real time to any data available in the United States," [Dr. Mark] Gold said. "With death reports, there is no fudge factor. The other states will show the same thing: That we are in the early stages of a new cocaine epidemic that is being led by the rich and famous and students with large amounts of disposable income and that is responsible for more emergency room visits and more cocaine-related deaths than we have seen at any time since the last cocaine epidemic."
Oh man, that sounds bad. But Congress will probably think of something. Maybe we’re not being tough enough on cocaine dealers.
And we should warn kids about the dangers of marijuana, which could be causing the cocaine abuse.
Location:
United States
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Doesn't add up
That blog entry says, "Now new data from UF and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement show that since 2000 cocaine has increasingly been cited as the cause of death in coroner's reports, and that the number of cocaine deaths per 100,000 people in the state has nearly doubled in the past five years, from 150 in 2000 to nearly 300 in 2005.".
Florida has a population of 16 million. So, even 150 deaths per 100,000 people translates to 24,000 cocaine-related deaths in Florida in 2000!! Needless to say, this is bullshit. According to the CDC, in 1998, there were a total of 1,802 cocaine-related deaths nationwide. Translating to a rate of 0.6 per 100,000 persons. Clearly, 150 and 300 represent the total number of deaths in Florida and not rates per 100,000.
There's also this contention:
"Prescription drugs, often abused for the immediate rush of euphoria they trigger, can cause sudden respiratory or cardiac arrest. In contrast, cocaine's cumulative effects - including blood vessel damage that increases the risk of heart attack or stroke over time - can unexpectedly kill years after abuse begins, Gold said.
"Cocaine gives them a feeling of incredible mastery, that they are immune to the laws of nature," said Gold, who is affiliated with UF's McKnight Brain Institute. "But it causes consequences. You can't say you are out of the risk window simply by surviving the use event. Death can come some time in the future.""
The epidemiological data from the prospective CARDIA study makes this unsupported.
First, a preliminary finding from 1997,
Lifetime cocaine use and cardiovascular characteristics among young adults: the CARDIA study.
...Higher levels of licit and illicit substance use behavior were reported by those reporting more extensive cocaine experience; however, most cardiovascular disease risk factors such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, hypertension, physical activity, and anthropometric measurements were not related to lifetime cocaine experience.
And this followup from 2005,
Cocaine and coronary calcification in young adults: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study.
...We found no evidence of a causal relationship between long-term exposure to cocaine and coronary calcification and conclude that acute nonatherogenic mechanisms probably explain most cocaine-associated myocardial infarction.
Wow!
Good catch, Daksya.
I'm relieved. For a second there, I though everyone was gonna die.
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