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Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO

Drug-related deaths reported to DAWN 356
Drug-related suicide deaths reported to DAWN 70
Metro area population, 2010 2,552,356
Population covered by DAWN 2,538,039
Percent of population covered by DAWN 99%

Metro area overview: Deaths and population by county, 2010
County Drug-related Drug-related suicide Population
Deaths Rate Deaths Rate
† Area did not participate in DAWN this year.
Total participating (8) 356 14.0 70 2.8 2,538,039
1. Adams County, CO 64 14.5 8 1.8 441,005
2. Arapahoe County, CO 78 13.8 11 1.9 565,404
3. Broomfield County, CO 4 7.1 2 3.6 56,001
4. Clear Creek County, CO† - - - - 8,712
5. Denver County, CO 151 24.7 22 3.6 610,336
6. Douglas County, CO 17 5.9 5 1.7 288,256
7. Elbert County, CO 3 12.9 0 0.0 23,291
8. Gilpin County, CO† - - - - 5,605
9. Jefferson County, CO 39 7.3 20 3.7 536,981
10. Park County, CO 0 0.0 2 11.9 16,765

Deaths by manner of death, 2010
Suicide 16.4%
Homicide 0.2%
Could not be determined 5.6%
Accidental 73.7%
Natural 4.0%

Top 5 drugs involved: Drug-related deaths, 2010
Drug category Single-drug deaths Multi-drug deaths Total
Opiates/opioids 48 207 255
Alcohol 0 118 118
Benzodiazepines 0 94 94
Cocaine 23 63 86
Antidepressants 2 72 74

Top 5 drugs involved: Drug-related suicide deaths, 2010
Drug category Single-drug deaths Multi-drug deaths Total
Opiates/opioids 5 24 29
Alcohol 1 27 28
Antidepressants 0 25 25
Misc. anxiolytics, sedatives, and hypnotics 1 20 21
Benzodiazepines 1 13 14

Death rates by sex and age: Drug-related, 2010
Sex Deaths per 100,000 population
Male 16.3
Female 11.7

Age Deaths per 100,000 population
Under 21 1.2
21 to 34 19.2
35 to 54 25.5
55 and over 10.0

Death rates by sex and age: Drug-related suicide, 2010
Sex Deaths per 100,000 population
Male 3.1
Female 2.4

Age Deaths per 100,000 population
Under 21 *
21 to 34 2.4
35 to 54 4.9
55 and over 3.2

Place of death, 2010
Drug-related Deaths
Health care facility 74
Home 224
Public place 34
Other 24
Not documented 0

Drug-related suicide Deaths
Health care facility 12
Home 45
Public place 9
Other 4
Not documented 0

Drug-related deaths by drug category, 2009-2010
Drug category Drug-relatedDrug-related suicide
Deaths, 2009 Deaths, 2010 Single-drug deaths, 2010 Deaths, 2009 Deaths, 2010 Single-drug deaths, 2010
NOTES: Alcohol row includes alcohol in combination with other drugs (all ages) and alcohol alone in decedents under age 21. Club drugs row includes MDMA (Ecstasy), GHB, flunitrazepam (Rohypnol), and ketamine. Hallucinogens row includes PCP, LSD, and miscellaneous hallucinogens.
ALL DRUGS 410 356 92 68 70 19
Alcohol 150 118 0 27 28 *
Cocaine 90 86 23 10 * 0
Marijuana 18 7 0 * 0 0
Stimulants 30 36 10 * * 0
Club drugs 4 * 0 * * 0
Hallucinogens 0 * 0 0 0 0
Inhalants * * * * * *
Antidepressants 80 74 * 24 25 0
Antipsychotics 6 18 0 8 4 0
Benzodiazepines 92 94 0 28 14 *
Misc. anxiolytics, sedatives, and hypnotics 42 38 0 15 21 *
Opiates/opioids 315 255 48 35 29 5
– Heroin (specified) 71 55 11 * * 0
– Methadone 49 36 7 4 0 0
– All other opiates/opioids 229 185 30 32 28 5
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents * * 0 0 0 0
Salicylates/combinations 0 0 0 * * *
Misc. analgesics/combinations 16 21 * 8 8 *
Anticonvulsants 11 23 0 5 11 *
Muscle relaxants 26 28 * 7 7 0

End Notes
1. Drug-related deaths exclude suicides.
2. All death rates are per 100,000 population.
3. An asterisk (*) signifies that a small number of deaths was suppressed to protect privacy.
4. A dash (-) represents a blank cell.
SOURCE: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, SAMHSA, Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2010.

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