KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — On Thursday, the Knox County Regional Forensic Center released its Drug-Related Death Report for 2023. RFC coroners and staff are investigating the cause and manner of reported deaths in both Knox and Anderson counties.
Highlights from the report shared by RFC included trends in causes of death, with drug-related deaths trending downward while motor vehicle accident deaths are on the rise. Trends in narcotics found in drug-related fatalities were also highlighted, with 71 percent of overdose deaths in Knox County found to be “polypharmacy,” meaning more than one drug was identified as the cause of death.
“Despite the decline in cases in Knox County and across the nation, the overdose epidemic remains a concern,” Knox County Regional Forensic Center director Chris Thomas said in a news release. “Fortunately, preliminary data for 2024 indicates that drug-related deaths continue to trend downward.”
Synthetic drugs continue to account for a large percentage of overdose deaths. According to RFC officials, the five drugs most commonly identified in drug-related deaths in 2023 were synthetic opioids, cocaine, alcohol/ethanol, xylazine, and methamphetamine. Methamphetamine was also identified as “the stimulant of choice, used alone or in combination with opioids.” Additionally, a new drug called bromazolam was ranked in the top 10 of drugs implicated in deaths.
“This year we have seen an increase in new synthetic drugs on the market that can be more dangerous than ever before, either alone or in combination with other drugs,” Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Darinka Mileusnik-Porchan said in a statement. “Many of the people seen at the RFC have been through multiple drug rehabilitation programs, some more than once.”
The full report can be found here.
