(L.A.) Drew Sifers, 26, Died From Drugs

, , , , 0

Case Number: 2023-13657

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 26-year-old White/Caucasian male that occurred at his residence.

The coroner’s office has identified the man as Drew Sifers.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Fentanyl, Mitragynine, and Etizolam Toxicity

RIP DREW ALAN SIFERS (January 24, 1997 – October 8, 2023)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Sunday at 5:52 a.m.

The Department of Medical Examiner publicly disclosed the CoD ruling on March 19, presumably after the results of tox screening had come back positive for the drugs.

Mitragynine is an indole-based alkaloid and the most abundant active alkaloid in the Southeast Asian plant Mitragyna speciosa, commonly known as kratom.

Etizolam is a thienodiazepine which is chemically related to a class of substances known as benzodiazepines.

The drug combination referred to as ‘benzo dope’ has become prevalent in recent years, with an increasing number of fentanyl-related deaths reporting the concomitant presence of one or more benzodiazepine drug, such as etizolam, flualprazolam and flubromazepam.

In July 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) temporarily scheduled five synthetic benzodiazepine substances – etizolam, flualprazolam, clonazolam, flubromazolam, and diclazepam – in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Individuals who handle these substances will now be subject to regulatory controls, as well as to administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances under the CSA.

The dramatic increase in trafficking and abuse associated with these substances, also known as “designer benzodiazepines,” has become a national public health concern in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), benzodiazepines were involved in 12,499 overdose deaths in the United States between 2019 and 2021.