The New Miami Vice

In Florida, of all places, it appears to be much safer to do illegal drugs these days than legal ones.

That, in a bass-akwards sort of way, is the message from an analysis of 2007 autopsies by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission that found the rate of deaths caused by prescription drugs was three times the rate of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined.

While some of the deaths can be attributed to medication errors, law enforcement officials said that the shocking statistics reflect the shift toward prescription drug abuse, notably opioids such as Vicodin and OxyContin.

More here.