The Penington Institute, a public health research organisation in relation to drugs, has released the latest figures for overdose around the country, which it said should concern all Australians.
Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2023 uses data across a 20-year period to highlight the devastating impact of drug-induced deaths in Australia and paints a picture of an escalating crisis.
“It is no exaggeration to talk about an overdose crisis. Overdose deaths in Australia have exceeded the road toll since 2014, and we see little to no action to demonstrably change this,” Penington Institute chief executive John Ryan said.
“This is one of the world’s worst public health crises, with a devastating toll on individuals, communities and economies the world over. And yet, with the right interventions, overdose deaths are preventable.”
The report found that since 2001, there have been more than 37,000 drug-induced deaths.
In 2021 alone, the figure was 2231, with 75 per cent unintentional.
The rate of unintentional drug-induced deaths for Indigenous Australians was even worse than for the rest of the population, with 20 per 100,000 people, compared with 5.9 per 100,000 for non-Indigenous people.
The bottom line is that an Australian dies from an overdose every four hours, or six every day.
“Unintentional overdose death in Australia has far outpaced population growth over the past two decades,” Mr Ryan said.
“This shows our response as a nation is simply not keeping up.”
The report found that in Shepparton, in the years 2017 to 2021, there were 27 overdose deaths reported, up from 23 for the years 2012 to 2016 and 20 between 2007 and 2011.
In 2021 alone, the report found that 99 people died from unintentional overdose in regional Victoria at a rate of 6.6 deaths per 100,000 population.
That’s a higher rate than metropolitan Melbourne, which recorded 315 deaths at a rate of 6.2 deaths per 100,000.
The report’s release coincides with International Overdose Awareness Day on Thursday, August 31.
Goulburn Valley primary health care provider Primary Care Connect has organised a commemoration for Tuesday, August 29.
Its chief executive, Tricia Quibell, said the fact the majority of deaths were related to pharmaceutical use, rather than illegal substances, ran contrary to popular belief.
“This tells us that there needs to be more comprehensive education programs around prescription use and the risk of addiction with some medications, and the significant number (20 per cent) of overdose deaths classified as suicides demonstrates the critical need for more mental health support for our communities,” she said.
“One thing is definitely clear though, and that is that the stigma surrounding addiction and overdose is wrong, and addiction and overdose do not discriminate.”
The Penington Institute report also warned of the potential future impact of synthetic opioids, especially fentanyl, in Australia.
Citing the devastating opioid epidemic in the United States and Canada, the report emphasised the need for an evidence-based approach to overdose prevention, including the urgent establishment of a national overdose prevention strategy, developed in collaboration with experts and individuals with lived experience.
Mr Ryan said the institute’s report should be cause for concern for all Australians.
“This is why we need drug policy reform and greater overdose awareness in our communities,” he said.
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