Christoforou said alcohol and other drug treatment services were unable to cope with the requests for help, resulting in excessive waiting times that could span months, effectively making treatment unattainable.
“We are worried that people are giving up,” he said.
A safe injecting demonstration in the medically supervised injecting room in Richmond.Credit: Penny Stephens
“This data is again marked by an increase in heroin related fatal overdoses. The continuing debate on the value of medically supervised injecting, led by misinformed and stigmatising narratives, has sadly stymied further support. What we see in today’s data is the real impact of these debates.”
Christoforou said increasing medically supervised injecting spaces in high-risk areas was a matter of urgency.
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While the number of heroin-related deaths has fluctuated substantially year-to-year over the past decade (except for the Yarra local government area, where they have been stubbornly high), they accounted for more than 40 per cent of fatal overdoses in 2024.
Victorian State Coroner John Cain said no community in Victoria escaped the impact of overdose deaths. He said ensuring that Victorians can access support, treatment, and education was vital.
“We have seen some genuine progress in harm reduction initiatives recently, including the commencement of Victoria’s drug checking trial,” he said.
“However, the concerning rise in overdose deaths and especially those involving illegal drugs is a stark reminder that we need to keep building on our harm reduction efforts.”
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A decade ago, illegal drugs contributed to just under half of Victorian overdose deaths. In 2024, they accounted for 65.6 per cent of deaths, up from 58.9 per cent in 2023 and 54.9 per cent in 2022.
The data shows men are, on average, twice as likely as women to die from an overdose, with people between the ages of 35 and 54 most at risk.
Most of the deaths, about 75 per cent, were deemed accidental or unintentional.
More to come.
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