Heroin Overdose Deaths Doubled In Much Of The Country: CDC

NEW YORK (AP) — A new government study found deaths from heroin overdose doubled in just two years in much of the United States.

Overdose deaths from powerful painkillers continue to be much more common, but they declined slightly as the heroin deaths increased.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the study Thursday.

One of the study's authors said some opioid painkiller abusers may be switching to heroin.

The study looked at drug overdose data from death certificates in 2012 and compared it to 2010. It's not a complete national picture, because only 28 states had the 2012 information available. The release of data for all the states is not expected for at least a few more months.

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Online:

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr