The Wire

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, a day used to raise awareness of overdoses and reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths. Today, the Penington Institute released Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2020.

The report found that for the fifth consecutive year, over 2,000 Australians lost their lives to drug overdoses. Over 1,000 deaths involved opioids – illicit drugs such as heroin or pain relievers such as morphine, oxycodone or fentanyl.

While Australia has several opioid treatment and drug reduction programs currently in place, the uptake has been slow and many regional communities face barriers in accessing these services.