A synthetic opioid — which has been linked to a rise in overdose deaths overseas — has emerged on the illicit drug scene, with some experts warning it has the potential to be Australia's version of a 'fentanyl crisis.'
A synthetic opioid linked to a rise in overdose deaths overseas has emerged on the illicit drug scene, with some experts warning it has the potential to be Australia's version of a "fentanyl crisis".
"As drugs are made illegal, both in Australia and globally, that incentivises the manufacturing industry to find a new product that skirts around the laws," he said.Nitazenes were first detected in Europe and North America in 2019, and have been linked to an increase in the number of overdose deaths.Drug checking services allow people to have small samples of illicit drugs tested for free to see if they contain dangerous chemicals.
"People who aren't using opioids regularly might not have access or fluency in those harm reduction interventions.""What was concerning about that is, within that one bottle of tablets, some had the nitazene and others didn't and there were varying doses in the one bottle," Mr Francis said.What can be done to prevent further overdoses?
"We suspect that if it's happening in NSW, something similar is occurring here because the market is not that different."
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