An analysis of autopsies conducted in 2007 by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission found that the rate of deaths caused by prescription drugs was three times the rate of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined.
The Florida report analyzed 168,900 deaths statewide. Cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines caused 989 deaths.
However, legal opioids such as Vicodin and OxyContin caused 2,328. Drugs with benzodiazepine, mainly depressants like Valium and Xanax, led to 743 deaths. Alcohol, the most commonly occurring drug, was found in the bodies of 4,179 of the dead and was judged the cause of death of 466.