There’s been a sharp increase in the number of drug-related deaths in Melton and Bacchus Marsh, with 40 fatalities recorded in four years.
The not-for-profit Penington Institute released its Australia’s Annual Overdose Report last week.
It reports there were 40 drug-related deaths in Melton and Bacchus Marsh between 2012 and 2016, compared to 27 deaths from 2002 to 2006.
Institute chief executive John Ryan described the figures as troubling.
“This jump from 27 deaths to 40 deaths is alarming,” Mr Ryan said. “This should act as a wake up-call.”
Opioids, such as codeine and heroin, were responsible for most fatal deaths between 2001 and 2016.
But the report revealed sleeping and anxiety tablets, known as “benzos” had become a “hidden epidemic” killing a large number of Australians each year.
The number of benzo-related deaths across Australia doubled in the past decade.
Mr Ryan strongly advocated a revamp of funding and resources.
“Spending priorities are wrong in Australia – 65 per cent of government investment tackling illicit drugs is spent on law enforcement to reduce supply,” he said.
“Just 22 per cent on treatment, 9.5 per cent on prevention and 2.2 per cent on harm reduction.”
The Penington Institute has urged authorities to carefully review prescribing of the painkiller fentanyl.
“It’s a synthetic opioid, up to 100 times more powerful than pure morphine,” Mr Ryan said. “It’s is claiming more lives than ever before.”
