Overdose danger has increased in recent years due to the proliferation of impure illegal drugs and new ways to abuse legal drugs, said Katie Hansen, Western's Drug Information Center coordinator.

Drug-induced deaths increased from approximately 9,000 to 16,000 during the '90s and have continued to rise in the last few years, the Office of National Drug Control Policy said.

Bellingham Police have already filed 33 reports of overdose this year, Lt. Craige Ambrose said. From 1999-2002, police filed 124 primary reports referencing overdose, with additional overdose references overlapping in cases involving suicide attempts, suicides and death investigations.

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