There is an urgent push for the government to address the health epidemic killing 25 per cent more people than it did 10 years ago.
As the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of slowing down, attention is being drawn to another killer epidemic responsible for claiming the lives of more than 2000 Aussies a year.
While deaths from drug overdoses are largely hidden from the public eye, chilling data has revealed just how urgently the issue needs addressing as a national health crisis.
For six consecutive years, drug-related fatalities have surpassed 2000 — more than the road toll and deaths related to Covid-19, according to findings released by the Penington Institute.
Since the turn of the century, 34,728 people died from an overdose, with the latest data revealing there were 2,227 drug-induced deaths in 2019, 1,644 of which being unintentional.
Surprisingly, illicit drugs take a back seat to pharmaceutical drugs when it came to what caused most deaths, with opioids, benzodiazepines (sedative drugs), antidepressants and anticonvulsants detected in most overdose deaths.
Of the overdoses in 2019, 882 were caused by opioids, 582 by benzodiazepines, 470 by stimulants, 340 by antidepressants, 256 by cannabinoids, 197 by antipsychotics, and 154 by anticonvulsants.
Of those to succumb to an overdose, data suggested Aboriginal Australians were almost four times as likely to die from one compared to non-Aboriginal Australians.
Overdose deaths were also found to be more common in rural and regional areas, in men, and in people aged over 50.
Drug and alcohol poisoning, a category overwhelmingly made up by drug overdoses, is the second leading cause of death for Australians in their thirties, while for those in their 20s and 40s, it’s the third-leading cause of death.
The Penington Institute has called on the development of a National Overdose Prevention Strategy to be created by people with lived experience, frontline workers and experts.
“If it were anything else taking so many of our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons and
daughters away from us, we’d be moving heaven and earth to solve this problem,” CEO John Ryan said.
“With every day that passes without a commitment to a National Overdose Prevention Strategy, we are letting Australians die of entirely preventable causes. It’s not okay. And it needs to change today.”
The institute has also enlisted renowned comedian Jimeoin to deliver the disturbing data as part of a video campaign.
“Today alone, I have gone over the recommended 400mg of caffeine. I’ve dismissed the daily ‘screen time’ recommendation. And tonight, I’ll likely enjoy a few standard drinks,” he said.
“What I’ve learned through reading Penington Institute’s Annual Overdose Report 2021 is that overdose is everywhere in Australia. And far more relatable than we all think. Yet we continue to delude ourselves and separate ourselves from the reality that overdose impacts every part of our community.”
The Penington Institute will distribute printed copies of its Annual Overdose Report 2021 to cabinet decision makers this week, along with a drug called Naloxone that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose.
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