The CDC states:
Drug-induced deaths include all deaths for which drugs are the underlying cause, including deaths attributable to acute poisoning by drugs (drug overdoses) and deaths from medical conditions resulting from chronic drug use. A drug includes illicit or street drugs (e.g., heroin or cocaine), as well as legal prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs; alcohol is not included. The majority of deaths are unintentional drug poisoning deaths, with suicidal drug poisoning and drug poisoning of undetermined intent comprising the majority of the remainder (2). Adverse effects from drugs taken as directed and infections resulting from drug use are not included. In 2007, drug-induced deaths were more common than alcohol-induced or firearm-related deaths in the United States ........During 2007 (the year in which the latest national NVSS mortality data are available), a total of 38,371 drug-induced deaths occurred in the United StatesHere are several maps (source) that show where drugs are used and how they get there:
Demand is geographically skewed in the U.S.
The West prefers methamphetamine (red) and the east prefers cocaine (blue)
The supply routes for meth follow the demand
The same goes for coke so sellers can reap the biggest possible profit
Marijuana distribution, like preference for it, is more balanced
And the same goes for heroin
It looks to me as if criminals are organized on a large scale, and the illegal drug trade. It is difficult to measure the value of the trade, and estimates are all over the lot, but clearly it is many tens of billions of dollars per year. Only the federal government is adequately placed to deal with the interstate commerce in illegal drugs. Perhaps the Department of Homeland Security should do more to protect the public from illicit drugs, even if it means doing less to protect us from terrorists. The drug dealers after all are accidentally killing a lot more Americans that the terrorists have been able to kill be design.
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