Mid West, Esperance and Kimberley see drop in unintentional drug-induced deaths while other regions rise

A regional breakdown of the latest statistics on deaths caused by unintentional overdoses in Australia shows the Mid West dropped to 25 deaths in the 2017-21 period while other regions increased. The report developed by the Penington Institute highlighted the devastating impact of drug-induced deaths during the past 20 years, demonstrating an escalating crisis which has claimed 37,000 lives since 2001. The latest available data shows in 2021, there were 2231 drug-induced deaths reported, with a staggering 75 per cent of those deaths unintentional. The Mid West region experienced 32 deaths in the 2007-11 period compared to 25 in 2012-16. Esperance also demonstrated a drop from nine deaths to five in 2017-21, while the Kimberley dropped from 18 to seven. However, there were increases in the Goldfields, Bunbury, Albany, Mandurah, Fremantle and Perth City. Hope Springs Rehabilitation Mid West general manager Ken Thomson said there needed to be more drug and alcohol support in the Mid West. “The fact that there has been a decrease in unintentional overdoses is certainly good news. But in my mind, 25 deaths is still 25 too many,” he said. “When it comes to alcohol and other drug use and misuse, the most important thing is that people can get support when they need it. That isn’t always the case for people in the Mid West. “Right now, if someone in our community identifies they have a problem and decides to do something about it, they have to travel to Perth to access detox services. We don’t have any detox services here.” Mr Thomson said HOPE was building a business case for the State Government to establish an alcohol and drug detox service in the Mid West. “Having that service close by and readily available to those who need it could contribute to bringing down unintentional overdose deaths even further in the future,” he said. The Mental Health Commission funds the WA Country Health Service, which has the Mid West Community Alcohol and Drug Service contract. It also supports a number of non-government organisations to provide mental health and alcohol and other drug services across Western Australia. Mental Health Commissioner Maureen Lewis said people living in the Mid West region could access alcohol and drug withdrawal services offered by Next Step Services, or a low medical withdrawal service, both located in Perth. “We’re committed to working with service providers to improve services and outcomes for people affected by alcohol and other drug use,” he said. “The commission also funds local and regional programs to provide support and options for people in the Mid West region.” Penington Institute’s chief executive John Ryan said the report findings were cause for concern for all Australians and called for immediate action to address the nation’s overdose crisis. “It is no exaggeration to talk about an overdose crisis,” he said. “Overdose deaths in Australia have exceeded the road toll since 2014 and we see little to no action to demonstrably change this.” Opioids continue to be the most common drug present in unintentional deaths, contributing to a staggering 45.7 per cent of drug-induced deaths. The rise in deaths involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl and other similar substances has increased more than 800 per cent since 2001. The report also revealed Indigenous Australians continue to be over-represented in overdose deaths, with the rate of unintentional drug-induced deaths for Indigenous Australians being 20 per 100,000 population compared with 5.9 for non-Indigenous Australians. Mr Ryan urged governments, healthcare providers and communities to take urgent action. “The time to address this national crisis is now,” he said. “We already have the tools and know-how to reduce overdose deaths — we just need to do it . . . by implementing evidence-based solutions, supporting access to treatment and closing the gap in overdose death rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.” Mr Ryan argued drug policy was challenged by the ease with which supply reduction initiatives were introduced compared to harm reduction initiatives. Mid West Community Alcohol and Drug Service: 1800 051 999 Ruah Community Services: 13 RUAH (13 78 24) Hope Alcohol and Drug Support Line: 9442 5000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander helpline: 13YARN (13 92 76)