A drug abuse death was either drug-induced or drug-related. A drug-induced death was caused directly by the drug, i.e., a drug overdose. A drug-related death is one in which the medical examiner concluded that drug use contributed to the death but was not its sole cause. The majority (62 percent) of drug abuse deaths reported to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) were drug-induced (overdoses) and usually involved multiple drugs. Across the 40 metropolitan areas, cocaine was the most frequently mentioned drug in 1999, followed by heroin/morphine, and alcohol-in-combination. The total number of drug abuse deaths reported to DAWN increased 15 percent (from 10,056 to 11,570) between 1998 and 1999. The largest increases in drug-related deaths occurred among older adults. Decedents age 55 and older increased 32 percent and decedents age 45 to 54 increased 28 percent. The report includes statistics on drug abuse deaths by metropolitan area; deaths involving cocaine, heroin/morphine, marijuana/hashish, and methamphetamine/speed; and non-medical uses of licit drugs. Notes, tables, appendixes