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The nation’s leading independent drug policy organisation, Penington Institute, has released its Annual Overdose Report 2020, which has found that more than 2,000 Australians lost their lives due to overdose for the fifth consecutive year.

The Annual Overdose Report 2020 is a detailed and thorough investigation into the crisis of drug overdoses in Australia, with relevant statistics relating to age, demographic, drug type and incidents of intentional versus non-intentional overdoses.

Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2020 shows that 2,070 Australians died of overdose in 2018, an alarming trend driven by deaths involving opioids, stimulants and the use of multiple substances at the same time (known as polydrug use).

Principal findings in the report regarding unintentional opioid-related overdoses, polydrug use, and an increased risk of overdosing in older demographics, men, indigenous communities and rural and regional areas paint a troubling picture about progress on Australia’s hidden health crisis. As a result, Penington Institute is urging governments to wake up to the scale of action required to reduce stigmatisation and to avoid a crisis that continues to grow.

“This is a crisis. And what’s worse is these deaths are preventable. We simply can’t accept, nor should we, that 2,000 sons and daughters, mums and dads, and brothers and sisters die every year from a drug overdose.” says Mr John Ryan, CEO of Penington Institute.

“Concerted campaigning, investment in evidence-based policies and community education has done a great job of bringing down the road toll. We must tackle our overdose crisis in the same way,” says Mr Ryan.

The main findings of Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2020 detail concerning figures, showing that opioids continue to be the drug type most commonly identified in overdose deaths, with 900 Australians losing their lives due to unintentional opioid-related overdoses in 2018. The continuation of a dramatic surge in deaths involving heroin means that for the first time since 2003, more Australians died of overdoses involving heroin than from some of the pharmaceutical opioids commonly prescribed by doctors.

In addition to this, the use of four or more substances, often referred to as polydrug use, continues to be the most quickly increasing overdose trend. The report details that unintentional overdose deaths that involve four or more substances are a major concern, with numbers almost quadrupling from 163 in 2013 to 582 in 2018.

The report also shows that while overdose affects Australians from every walk of life and every income bracket, some communities are particularly at risk.

“The overdose crisis continues to be felt at all levels of our society. However, yet again the most recent data available shows that some Australians are more vulnerable than others,” says Dr Stephen McNally, Deputy CEO of Penington Institute.

Age is a significant factor relating to overdoses, with over 40 per cent of all unintentional overdose deaths in 2018 were suffered by Australians aged 50 and over, while those aged in their 40s accounted for 27 per cent of the total.

Furthermore, Aboriginal Australians continue to die from overdoses at disproportionate rates, mostly from opioid overuse, with Dr McNally adding:

“Aboriginal Australians are three times more likely to die of an unintentional overdose than a non-Aboriginal person. A disparity like that simply shouldn’t be acceptable in this country.”

Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2020 also shows, yet again, that unintentional overdose deaths occur at higher rates in rural and regional Australia. ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ly, there were 7.3 unintentional overdose deaths per 100,000 people in rural and regional areas, compared with 5.8 per 100,000 in the capital cities in 2018. 

“We want Australia’s Annual Overdose Report to encourage Australians from all walks of life to talk more about overdose and drug issues. That’s vital if we’re to bring this hidden crisis out of the shadows. The rich, middle and poor are all impacted by overdose. City and country too. It is not someone else’s problem. It is an Australian problem that we must collectively face up to,” says Mr Ryan.

Overall, Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2020 paints an extremely alarming picture of Australia’s hidden health crisis and until concerted action is made, thousands of Australians will continue to die each year from preventable causes which have profoundly negative effects on our economy and our communities.

Glossary

Principal findings of Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2020:

• There were 1,556 unintentional overdose deaths in Australia in 2018, accounting for more than three-quarters (75.2 per cent) of all overdose deaths.
• Overdose deaths where four or more substances were detected are increasing dramatically.
• The number of unintentional overdose deaths involving opioids has increased consistently since 2006.
• The increase in unintentional overdose deaths is more pronounced among some parts of the community, including those who are over 30 years old, males, those who are of Aboriginal background and those who live in rural and regional areas of Australia.
• The number of unintentional overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines continues to rise.
• The number of unintentional overdose deaths involving stimulants has increased sharply since 2012.
• The rate of unintentional overdose deaths involving cannabinoids has increased steadily in all states and territories since 2013.
• While the overall number of unintentional overdose deaths involving anti-convulsants is low (128 deaths in 2018) the number has increased markedly since 2015, when there were only 11 deaths.
• Rates of unintentional overdose deaths involving anti-psychotics have increased markedly since 2013, (when there were 15 deaths involving anti-psychotics) to 223 such deaths in 2018, representing 14.3 per cent of all unintentional overdose deaths.

About Penington Institute

Penington Institute connects lived experience and research to improve community safety in relation to drugs, including alcohol and pharmaceuticals.