International Overdose Awareness Day: We must do more to save lives
Accidental drug-related deaths have more than doubled in Western Australia over the last 15 years, Greens spokesperson for Alcohol and Other Drugs Hon Alison Xamon MLC has told Parliament to mark International Overdose Awareness Day, which is today, with prescription drugs now the biggest killer.
Ms Xamon said the latest report from the Pennington Institute showed drugs were the cause of 23% of all accidental deaths in Australia in 2016 – more than double the number of deaths caused by car accidents.
