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Phencyclidine and Violent Deaths in St. Louis, Missouri: A Survey of Medical Examiners' Cases From 1977 Through 1986

NCJ Number
128164
Journal
American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Volume: 16 Issue: 3-4 Dated: (1990) Pages: 265-274
Author(s)
A Poklis; M Graham; D Maginn
Date Published
1990
Length
10 pages
Annotation
A survey of 104 deaths involving phencyclidine (PCP) that occurred from 1981 through 1986 in metropolitan St. Louis is presented.
Abstract
Records from the Medical Examiners Office were studied to identify all deaths related to PCP abuse and to obtain age, sex, and race information. Cases in which PCP was the proximate cause of death and cases in which PCP was not the cause of death but was detected in body tissues or fluids were included in the survey. Four black males between 22 and 33 years of age died from fatal PCP intoxication. PCP was detected in an additional 100 deaths, including 81 homicides, 13 suicides, and 6 accidental deaths. Of the 100 deaths, 75 were murders of black males. In 50 percent of deaths where PCP was detected, other drugs were coadministered, with ethanol (35 percent) and cocaine (20 percent) being the most common mixtures. A dramatic continuous increase in PCP abuse from 1984 through 1986 was demonstrated by drug abuse indicator data on treatment admissions, emergency episodes, and driving under the influence of PCP arrests. Increased PCP abuse in St. Louis was associated with increased medical emergencies and violence against persons. Despite the potential development of life-threatening complications associated with severe PCP intoxication, only 8 percent of all drug-related fatalities in St. Louis were due to PCP overdose. Cocaine and heroin accounted for the vast majority of drug abuse overdose deaths. 23 references, 1 table, and 1 figure

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