Illegal fentanyl could be ’catastrophic‘ for Victoria, top health body warns

Record fatal overdoses have sparked warnings for authorities to brace for the effects of a synthetic painkiller becoming more popular among Victorians.

A suspected drug overdose victim is assisted by friends in the inner Melbourne suburb of Richmond. Picture: AAP Image/Joe Castro

Victoria is unprepared for a potentially “catastrophic” influx of illegal painkillers amid the state’s highest drug overdose rates on record, a leading health body says.

The state’s top drug and alcohol association is warning that fentanyl is quickly rising through the ranks as a popular drug of choice among Victorians because it is a synthetic prescription painkiller 50 times stronger than heroin that can be easily mass produced in clandestine drug labs.

It comes as Victoria recorded its worst year for fatal overdoses on record, with 549 overdose deaths in 2022, the most recent data available.

That year also recorded the highest number of heroin-related deaths since 2000.

Fentanyl has already killed thousands of people overseas. Picture: Juan Pablo Pino/AFP

Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) chief executive Chris Christoforou said Victoria, and the rest of the country, needed to look at the devastating impact of fentanyl in other countries as a warning for how the drug could contribute to more overdoses in Victoria.

“The impact of fentanyl and other powerful synthetic opioids in various countries overseas has been no less than catastrophic,” he told the Herald Sun.

“In the USA in 2022, these substances contributed to approximately 80,000 fatalities with fatal overdose being the leading cause of death among people aged 18-45.

“Being the heroin capital of Australia, Victoria needs to be ready for such an incursion, as we do with other emergencies such as bushfires, floods and pandemics.

“Should a US style synthetic opioid epidemic reach our shores then it is likely our acute health system, including first responders, would be overwhelmed.”

Figures released exclusively to the Herald Sun reveal that waitlists for drug and alcohol treatment are sitting at 40 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels, up from 2385 in 2020 to 3545 last year.

This means that about 100,000 Victorians are waiting at least a year for drastic interventions for their addictions.

A man overdoses on heroin in Richmond Picture: Jason Edwards

Mounting financial pressure from the cost of living crisis is now believed to be making substance addictions that people developed during Covid worse.

Data from the Coroner’s Court of Victoria shows that fatal overdoses have steadily risen in recent years, with 230 heroin-related deaths in 2022 compared to 187 in 2020.

Mr Christoforou said VAADA was calling on the state government to develop an official plan to combat the rise of fentanyl in the community being taken advantage of by drug-peddling criminals.

“Given the high demand and consumption patterns for illicit substances, and profitability for criminal entities in the local drug market, there is always a risk of high numbers of fatal overdoses in our communities,” he said.

A Victorian government spokeswoman said $372 million was allocated for alcohol and drug treatment last year after the Covid-related spike.

But VAADA estimates it will need at least another $80m in this year’s state budget to cope with rising demands and enough staffing at treatment centres, injecting rooms and education programs.

“We are determined to improve the health and social outcomes for Victorians through investment in evidence-based, innovative approaches to prevent, reduce and address alcohol and drug related harm,” the spokeswoman said.