Penington Institute report: Greater Geelong records drug overdose death surge

Accidental drug overdoses are killing more Geelong residents, with experts citing fears a fentanyl crisis could hit Australia.

The Penington Institute’s John Ryan says urgent action needs to be taken to stop preventable drug deaths. Picture: Supplied

More Geelong residents are dying from accidental drug overdoses, with 100 people losing their lives over five years according to a new study.

The Penington Institute’s Annual Overdose Report, to be released on Monday, showed drug overdose deaths in Geelong rose by 75 per cent from 2007-11 to 2017-2021.

From 2012-16 to 2017-2021, they rose by 43 per cent.

According to the report, regional Victoria has recorded a higher rate of unintentional drug-induced deaths than Melbourne since 2005.

This gap has widened, with a greater increase since 2011 observed in regional and rural Victoria, the report noted.

However, the report also noted rates across the two regions had converged in recent years.

In 2021, the rate of unintentional drug-induced deaths in regional and rural Victoria was 6.6 per 100,000 population, compared with 6.2 for Melbourne.

In 2021, there were 2231 drug-induced deaths reported Australia-wide, with 75 per cent listed as unintentional.

The institute’s chief executive officer, John Ryan said Geelong was “not immune” to the drug crisis.

Mr Ryan noted a need to breakthrough the shame associated with drug addiction so it could be treated “first and foremost” as a health challenge.

“Geelong is typical of regional and rural Australia, which is that the overdose toll is higher in than it is in the big metropolitan centres,” he said.

“Many drugs contribute – that includes pharmaceutical opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and also alcohol.

“It is really often a combination of drugs that are causing overdoses.”

Mr Ryan also warned about the future impact of synthetic opioids, especially fentanyl, in Australia – citing the devastating opioid epidemic in the US and Canada.

The report found opioids continued to be the most common drug present in unintentional deaths across Australia, contributing to 45.7 per cent of drug-induced deaths.

Mr Ryan said Australia was “not prepared” for a fentanyl crisis and said action to reduce the impact of that drug needed to be taken now.

“This is one of the world’s worst public health crises, with a devastating toll on individuals, communities, and economies the world over,” Mr Ryan said.

“And yet, with the right interventions, overdose deaths are preventable.

“This is why we need drug policy reform and greater overdose awareness in our communities.”

The report found drug overdose to be one of the top three causes of death for Australian adults under the age of 50 and in 2021 it was third-leading cause of death for those aged 20-29, behind suicide and road accidents.

It was the second leading cause of death behind suicide for those aged 30-39.

Originally published as Penington Institute report: Greater Geelong records drug overdose death surge