A new demographic of older people who use heroin has emerged and is being reflected in overdose deaths. This webinar examines the circumstances of death and characteristics of heroin-related toxicity deaths aged ≥ 65 years in Australia over the period 2000-2025. It also presents data on toxicology, the role of systemic disease, survival times, and the clinical implications of these findings.

About this speaker: Emeritus Professor Shane Darke is a leading world expert on the health effects associated with substance use. He has published widely in the area of illicit drug use, including ground-breaking work on opioid overdose, psychostimulant toxicity, psychopathology, suicide, treatment outcomes and toxicology. He has published more than 300 articles and 6 books, and is listed in the top 0.1% of substance dependence researchers worldwide.