Cocaine Deaths Higher on Hotter Days

Join Together – March 11, 2010
Research Summary More people die of cocaine overdoses on hot days, possibly because the drug raises body temperatures, according to researchers.

Study author Amy Bohnert of the VA National Serious Mental Illness Treatment Research and Evaluation Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., and colleagues studied cocaine overdoses in New York City during a 16-year period and found that the number of overdose deaths rose by at least two per week when the average weekly temperature exceeded 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Researchers said that cocaine use makes it harder for the body to cool itself and for users to recognize that they are overheating, according to Drugs.com.

The study was published online in the journal Addiction.

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