Australia's Annual Overdose Report 2020, released today by leading independent drug organisation Penington Institute, reveals that 182 Tasmanians died of unintentional overdose in the five years from 2014 to 2018.
This is higher than the number of Tasmanians who passed away in car accidents over the same period (166) and significantly higher than the number of Tasmanians who died of unintentional overdoses between 2004 and 2008 (147).
In total, 34 Tasmanians died of unintentional overdoses in 2018, two more than in 2017 and 26 per cent higher than the 2013 total of 27.
The 182 unintentional overdose deaths in Tasmania in the five years between 2014 and 2018 corresponds to a rate of 6.7 unintentional overdose deaths per 100,000 people – well above the national mortality rate for melanoma (which stood at 4.7 per 100,000 in 2018).
Further still, this year's Report reveals growing numbers of unintentional overdose deaths for some of the most common drugs in Tasmanian homes and communities, including:
• 59 unintentional overdose deaths involving other pharmaceutical drugs such as anti-depressants and anti-convulsants in the five years from 2014-18, compared to 40 in the five years from 2004 to 2008
• 54 unintentional overdose deaths involving benzos in the five years from 2014-18, compared to 52 in the five years from 2004 to 2008
• 47 unintentional overdose deaths involving pharmaceutical opioids such as oxycodone and codeine in the five years from 2014-18, compared to 38 in the five years from 2004 to 2008
• 29 unintentional overdose deaths involving stimulants such as methamphetamine ice in the five years from 2014-18, compared to just nine in the five years from 2004 to 2008.
These findings are strengthened by data from the most recent Wastewater Drug Monitoring survey, which reveals that Tasmania ranks highly for the use of several different types of drugs.
The most recent survey, carried out in late 2019, indicated that Tasmania had the highest estimated average capital city consumption of oxycodone, a pharmaceutical opioid which has been heavily implicated in the overdose crisis still devastating North America.
Overall, Australia's Annual Overdose Report 2020 paints a concerning picture of overdose in Tasmania and a state struggling to come to terms with increasing use of several different types of drugs.
As stated by Mr John Ryan, CEO of Penington Institute:
"As Australia's Annual Overdose Report 2020 makes clear, Tasmania faces real challenges when it comes to drug use and overdose."
"People turn to drugs for different reasons. For some, they are a way of coping with a difficult time in their lives. For others, it is a response to a lack of opportunity. Of course, many people use drugs simply out of curiosity or to have a new experience."
"No matter the circumstances of people's drug use, it is our collective responsibility to keep them safe."
"Penington Institute welcomes the Tasmanian Government's recent announcement of a trial of free Take Home Naloxone as part of its broader response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that naloxone is one of the most effective interventions we have to respond to opioid overdose. But it's just one of several policy responses every state should be enacting."
"To make sustained progress to reducing overdose deaths, we need to address the structural factors of drug use: better education, understanding the factors that motivate use, working with communities to implement localised responses, and reducing the pervasive stigma around drugs."
"Overdose is Australia's hidden health crisis. By releasing this Report, we're looking to have a better-informed conversation and bring it out of the shadows. Penington Institute is releasing this year's Annual Overdose Report on International Overdose Awareness Day, the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember those who have died without stigma and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind."
"International Overdose Awareness Day was first observed in Melbourne in 2001. This year is the 20th IOAD and it is being recognised with events around the world, including some of our most iconic landmarks being lit purple."
Glossary
| Drug types |
Common examples |
| Illicit opioids |
Heroin |
| Pharmaceutical opioids |
Oxycodone, Codeine, Fentanyl |
| Stimulants |
Methamphetamine ("ice"), Ecstasy (MDMA) |
| Cannabinoids |
CBD, Synthetic cannabis, Hashish |
| Benzodiazepines |
Diazepam, Temazepam |
| Anti-depressants |
Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro |
| Anti-psychotics |
Quetiapine, Olanzapine, Risperidone |
| Anti-convulsants |
Pregabalin, Gabapentin |
About Penington Institute
Penington Institute connects lived experience and research to improve community safety in relation to drugs, including alcohol and pharmaceuticals.
