A marked increase in cocaine-related deaths in the State of Florida: precursor to an epidemic?

The history of cocaine misuse includes a destructive epidemic during the 1980s. While recent surveys suggest cocaine use is stable or decreasing, we have observed increasing trends of cocaine-related death through analysis of medical examiner data collected by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Florida's per capita cocaine-related death rates nearly doubled from 2001 to 2005. Electronic collection of data such as that collected by the FDLE nationally and in real-time would greatly advance understanding of drug-use patterns and consequences. For example, results from Florida suggest that high school and college students, and members of higher socioeconomic status, appear to be at increased risk of cocaine abuse. Public health interventions are necessary to prevent another full-fledged epidemic.