Drug Deaths

Drug deaths in their various forms continue to contribute to a substantial number of preventable deaths; often in combination with two or more psychotropic drugs. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of the new psychotropic drugs (NPS) that have added substantially to the already widespread availability of the existing illicit, and other drugs, used recreationally. This is not only challenging the analytic laboratories to detect these drugs but also the ability to interpret their likely toxicological role in presumed sudden drug deaths. This Chapter provides an overview of the drugs of most interest causing death and the various factors involved in the interpretation of toxicological results, including collection of specimens, pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenomic considerations, and artefacts arising after death that affect tissue concentrations.