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The effect of a reduction in heroin supply on fatal and non‐fatal drug overdoses in New South Wales, Australia
Author(s) -
Degenhardt Louisa J,
Conroy Elizabeth,
Gilmour Stuart,
Hall Wayne D
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06549.x
Subject(s) - heroin , medicine , emergency medicine , coroner , drug overdose , drug , medical emergency , poison control , injury prevention , psychiatry
Objective: To examine the impact of a sudden and dramatic decrease in heroin availability, concomitant with increases in price and decreases in purity, on fatal and non‐fatal drug overdoses in New South Wales, Australia. Design and setting: Time‐series analysis was conducted where possible on data on overdoses collected from NSW hospital emergency departments, the NSW Ambulance Service, and all suspected drug‐related deaths referred to the NSW Coroner's court. Main outcome measures: The number of suspected drug‐related deaths where heroin and other drugs were mentioned; ambulance calls to suspected opioid overdoses; and emergency department admissions for overdoses on heroin and other drugs. Results: Both fatal and non‐fatal heroin overdoses decreased significantly after heroin supply reduced; the reductions were greater among younger age groups than older age groups. There were no clear increases in non‐fatal overdoses with cocaine, methamphetamines or benzodiazepines recorded at hospital emergency departments after the reduction in heroin supply. Data on drug‐related deaths suggested that heroin use was the predominant driver of drug‐related deaths in NSW, and that when heroin supply was reduced overdose deaths were more likely to involve a wider combination of drugs. Conclusion: A reduction in heroin supply reduced heroin‐related deaths, and did not result in a concomitant increase, to the same degree, in deaths relating to other drugs. Younger people were more affected by the reduction in supply.