Sarah Helm: Drug Foundation Executive Director on the number of drug overdose deaths nearly doubling

Drug overdose deaths have almost doubled in less than a decade and at the same time, the number of people accessing specialist help is trending downward.  

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission found 188 people died from an overdose in 2023. 

That's more than half the road toll, and more than twice the number of drowning deaths. 

Drug Foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm told Ryan Bridge we lose three New Zealanders every week to accidental and preventable drug overdose.  

She says at the same time there's been a decline in access to addiction services. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Back home. You report out this morning from the Mental
Health and Wellbeing Commissioned drug overdose deaths here have almost
doubled in under a decade and the amount of people
accessing specialist mental health and addiction intervention, in other words, help,
is continuing to trend downward. So what's up with that?
Sarah Helm, the NZID Drug Foundation Executive directed with me
this morning. Sarah, good morning, Good morning. How do those

(00:22):
two things compute? You've got more deaths and you've got
less help.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, actually that's true across a couple of different areas.
So we've had a really concern and growth of overdose
fatalities over a number of years now, and we lose
three New Zealanders every week to entirely preventable accidental drug overdose.
Alongside that, we know that there's a certain part of

(00:48):
the population, particularly middle aged people, who if the experience
and overdose, aren't seeking help, they aren't turning up to hospital.
And also we've had a decline in AXI to addiction services,
so that really spells some problems for our community.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
So how many people dive overdose in a.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Year one hundred and eighty eight in twenty twenty three,
and now just for comparison, that's over half the road
toll and more than twice the number of people that
we lose to drowning, and that compares about the same
over a number of years now.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
And how does that compare to other countries.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yeah, well, we've historically been so lucky compared to other
countries that I think that we just haven't really paid
attention to this. So our organization over a few years
now have been compiling statistics ourselves out of coronial data
and out of hospitalizations, and it's really showing that we

(01:54):
need to be genuinely concerned about this. And we know
that we also are at risk and do have all
we it is some of the potent opioids that are
causing the problems in North America. We need to act
to make sure that we don't continue to exacerbate this.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
What drug are they taking to odon? Generally? What is it?

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Heroin the leading types of substances. So often is more
than one two thirds of cases of medicine is involved.
We're talking opioids. Alcohol and benzodiazepines are the main culprits
that might be anything from tramadol to know morphine in

(02:35):
the mix.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
So legal stuff interesting. Sarah, appreciate your time this morning.
Thanks so much for coming on. Sarah hol means In
Drug Foundation Executive Director. That report out this morning from
the Mental Health and Well Being Commissioned. For more from
Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
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