As drug deaths rise in rural Australia, we must do more to prevent overdoses

Abstract

Rural Australians are more likely than their city counterparts to drink alcohol at harmful levels. They're also higher consumers of cannabis, ice and the prescription opioids oxycodone and fentanyl. <br/> Drug-related deaths are also rising more rapidly in rural Australia, up 41% since 2008, compared with a 16% increase in major cities over the same period. <br/> Several reports have also shown that the burden of alcohol and other drug use increases with remoteness.