NZ Overdose Deaths Up 54%
November 5, 2022
Drug overdose deaths are up 54 percent according to a new Drug Foundation report.
Analysis of coronial data shows 171 people died in 2021, up from 111 in 2017.
The report says the increase is driven by use of opioids, alcohol, benzodiazepines, and synthetic cannabinoids.
Many overdose deaths were a result of mixing drugs, with opioids featured in almost half of fatalities over the past five years.
Over-the-counter medicine was listed as being present in more than three quarters (77 percent) of deaths.