MIAMI -- Illegal and prescription drugs were listed as the official cause of death in thousands of Florida autopsies.

A 2006 drug report that looked at statewide trends said the three most frequently occurring drugs found in Florida autopsies were drinking alcohol, medically termed ethyl alcohol (3,698), cocaine (2,052) and all benzodiazepines (1,987).

The Office of Vital Statistics reported more than 171,000 deaths occurred in Florida during 2006.

Of those deaths, the medical examiners reported on 7,741 drug-related deaths through toxicology reports submitted to the Medical Examiner's Commission.

"The state’s medical examiners were asked to distinguish between the drugs being the cause of death or merely present in the body at the time of death," said Medical Examiners Commission Chairman Stephen J. Nelson.

According to the report, the number of drug-related deaths in the Sunshine State is up from 2005. But medical examiners also reported a decrease in certain drug-causing deaths.

"Some notable decreases that occurred during the year are in the occurrences of Meperidine, Propoxyphene, Morphine, and Tramadol," said Nelson.

The latest report concluded Codeine continues to be the predominant opioid reported.

As of this year, The Medical Examiners Commission has discontinued tracking Carbon Monoxide as an "Other Inhalant," for it had not yet been consistently reported by the districts as an "inhalant" such as Freon and nitrous oxide.

Read the 2006 Florida Medical Examiner's Report.