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Number of Victorians fatally overdosing on drugs and alcohol surges to 10-year high

Drug overdoses have jumped 10 per cent in a year to hit a decade high, alarming new data from the Victorian Coroners Court shows. See how it affects your area.

Drug overdoses have hit a decade high in Victoria.
Drug overdoses have hit a decade high in Victoria.

The number of Victorians dying from drug overdoses has surged to a decade-high, alarming new figures show.

A new report from the Coroners Court of Victoria outlines that 549 Victorians fatally overdosed in 2022, compared to 500 the year prior.

Close to 80 per cent of deaths involved multiple drugs.

Heroin was the deadliest drug in the past year, contributing to 230 deaths followed by diazepam (217), alcohol (173), methamphetamine (141) and methadone (72).

The government is facing renewed calls to establish pill testing sites. Picture: Martin Ollman
The government is facing renewed calls to establish pill testing sites. Picture: Martin Ollman

Since 2013, pharmaceutical drugs have been the main contributors to drug-related deaths in Victoria.

But the number of overdoses involving illegal substances is on the rise, almost doubling between 2013 and 2022.

Last year, heroin-involved overdoses increased from 173 in 2021 to 230 in 2022, while alcohol-related deaths also reached their highest point in a decade.

Authorities are worried about the emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) —synthetic drugs which mimic traditional drugs but are often more harmful — which has contributed to an increase in deaths every since 2019.

In 2018, just two deaths were attributed to psychoactive substances but that rose by over 2000 per cent to 46 in the past 12 months, prompting calls for the Allan government to implement pill testing.

More than three quarters of the deadly overdoses occurred in metropolitan Melbourne.

The City of Melbourne, which will be the location of a yet-to-be decided drug injecting room, recorded the highest number of heroin related fatal overdoses (24), almost double the City of Yarra (14), which operates an existing facility.

The Victorian government is yet to announce the location of a second drug injecting facility. Picture: Jason Edwards
The Victorian government is yet to announce the location of a second drug injecting facility. Picture: Jason Edwards

Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association chief executive Chris Christoforou said the data represented an “unambiguous and dramatic indicator” of a worsening heroin crisis that highlighted a need to fast-track a second injecting room and green light pill tests.

“The 2022 overdose data breaks several records,” he said.

“These fatalities are preventable with evidence informed policymeasures such as drug checking, capable of curbing these harms.

“Currently we discover new NPS through pathology tests from those in emergency departments or morgues; drug checking services provide information about new hazardous substances prior to the substance being consumed.”

People aged between 35 and 54 were most at risk, with men on average twice as likely as women to die, the report found.

State Coroner John Cain, who has repeatedly called on the government to open drug checking services, said overdose deaths remain a “concerning public health issue”.

“We must continue to improve access to supports, treatment and education,” he said.

“Addressing drug-related harms requires an understanding of the complexities around access to drugs and alcohol and the drivers of use.

“Through coronial data we can contribute to this understanding – providing vital insight into ongoing and emerging drug-related harms and how best to save lives.”

SEE HOW MANY FATAL OVERDOSES HAPPENED YOUR AREA LAST YEAR

Alpine - 1

Ararat - 1

Ballarat - 13

Banyule - 10

Bass Coast - 4

Baw Baw - 4

Bayside - 7

Benalla - 3

Boroondara - 10

Brimbank - 29

Buloke - 1

Campaspe - 4

Cardinia - 4

Casey - 20
Central Goldfields - 1

Colac Otway - 3

Corangamite - 1

Darebin - 18

East Gippsland - 2

Frankston - 16

Gannawarra - 1

Glen Eira - 7

Glenelg - 0

Golden Eira - 0

Greater Bendigo - 6

Greater Dandenong - 13

Greater Geelong - 22

Greater Shepparton - 4

Hepburn - 4

Hindmarsh - 0

Hobsons Bay - 13

Horsham - 2

Hume - 11

Indigo - 0

Kingston - 11

Knox - 7

Latrobe - 8

Loddon - 2

Macedon Ranges - 2

Manningham - 2

Mansfield - 1

Maribyrnong - 22

Maroondah - 8

Melbourne - 32

Melton - 16

Mildura - 7

Mitchell - 3

Moira - 4

Monash - 13

Moonee Valley - 6

Moorabool - 4

Merri-bek - 19

Mornington Peninsula - 15

Mount Alexander - 0

Moyne - 2

Murrindindi - 2

Nillumbik - 5

Northern Grampians - 1

Port Phillip - 23

Pyrenees - 0

Queenscliffe - 0

South Gippsland - 1

Southern Grampians - 1

Stonnington - 9

Strathbogie - 2

Surf Coast - 1

Swan Hill - 0

Towong - 1

Wangaratta - 4

Warrnambool - 4

Wellington - 6

West Wimmera - 1

Whitehorse - 8

Whittlesea - 12

Wodonga - 0

Wyndham - 14

Yarra - 21

Yarra Ranges - 13

Yarriambiack - 1

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/number-of-victorians-fatally-overdosing-on-drugs-and-alcohol-surges-to-10year-high/news-story/d64cbe1e37fac6b2564933e5f76f3d76