"Slipping Mickeys" now more prevalent.

• Position: Poisoning - Brief article

Intentional poisoning refers to attempts to harm someone physically or render that person defenseless against crimes by deliberately getting the individual to ingest, inhale, or in some other way take in a potentially harmful substance without their knowledge.

A national report reveals that more than 14,720 emergency department visits were caused by drug-related intentional poisonings during a recent 12-month period. The report--by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Washington, D.C.--shows that 63% of those visits were by females, and that 73% by people 21 or older.

A wide variety of substances were involved in these intentional poisonings, including alcohol, illicit drugs, and pharmaceuticals, as well as substances for which patients lacked knowledge about the specific drugs. Alcohol was a factor in 60% of these intentional poisoning-related emergency department visits. Illicit drugs such as marijuana, stimulants, cocaine, and Ecstasy were a factor 30% of the time. Pharmaceuticals such as drugs for insomnia, anxiety, benzodiazepines, and...