International Overdose Awareness Day - Harm Reduction Victoria & ARCSHS Dr Kate Seear

Clever Conversations

Marked annually on August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day 2021 is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose. As the event’s website explains, the day is an opportunity to ‘remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind.’ International Overdose Awareness Day 2021 is a time to remember and, importantly, a time to act. To mark the occasion, the DruGS team hosted an online discussion focussed on recent legislative changes in Victoria aimed at supporting the health and wellbeing of people who consume drugs. While a range of issues were covered some key topics include the: • Recent changes to regulation of the overdose reversal drug naloxone; • Recent decriminalisation of peer distribution of new injecting equipment and; • Limits of the recent changes and other ambitious reform goals for the sector. The discussants were Mr Sione Crawford, Executive Officer of Harm Reduction Victoria, Ms Jane Dicka, Health Promotion Team Coordinator, Harm Reduction Victoria and DruGS team member Associate Professor Kate Seear, Lead of the Gender, Law and Drugs (GLaD) program at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University. The discussion was facilitated by DruGS team members Dr Renae Fomiatti and Dr Adrian Farrugia, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------