Latest news with #Nitazenes
Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
What are nitazines, the drugs stronger than heroin that killed two people in the UK?
Image credits: Getty Images (Representative image) There is no upside to consuming drugs. While one may feel a sudden high that makes them forget all the lows of life for a while, their health will only suffer from the consumption of drugs. Take the case of a 28-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman who both died in suspected drug overdoses from highly potent synthetic opioids. An investigation into the "sudden deaths" of the man and woman in Southall on 26 May is underway, said the Metropolitan Police. "This is following reports that the individuals allegedly passed away after taking an illicit substance in the form of a green pill," a spokesperson for the force added. The Loop, a drug testing charity said the pills consumed by the two contained synthetic opioids called Nitazenes which can be "50 to 500 times stronger than heroin." Ealing Council said that the pills consumed by the two people who died had the number 80 on one side and possibly 'OP' on the other. The Cause, a nightclub in East London posted about the pills on their Instagram account informing people that there have been "several hospitalizations across multiple London venues." The West London council has also issued a warning on the same. What are Nitazenes? Image credits: Getty Images Nitazenes are laboratory-made high-strength synthetic opioid drugs that have effects similar to heroin. Originally developed in 1950s by researchers in Switzerland as an alternative to morphine, it was abandoned in clinical trials due to concerns about harmful effects. Since their effects can be 50 to 100 times higher than heroin, users have absolutely no idea of their potency. Once inside, the drug suppresses the respiratory system which leads to people dying due to loss of breath. However, the symptoms can be reversed by taking Naloxone, an antidote. A study published in The Lancet in 2024 stated that in the UK, nitazenes had been detected in substances sold as other opioids, benzodiazepines and cannabis products. Thus, one may not have any idea of what they are consuming and the risks they face. Most recent government data from May 2023 to June 2024, stated that 18 deaths were linked to nitazenes in London and 179 in England. According to an information bulletin by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), it was in 2019 that nitazenes emerged in the illicit drug market in Europe and spread to North America, South America, Asia and Oceania. Today, at least 13 different types of nitzenes are known and out of them the most prevalent is isonitazene (ISO). ISO is 250 to 900 times more stronger than morphine and the most potent nitazene is up to 4,300 times stronger than morphine. These drugs are highly addictive and lead to disorientation, seizures, central nervous system or respiratory depression, cardiac arrest and more. Why and how do people use Nitazenes? Well, for similar reasons they consume any other drug. Nitazenes are synthetically engineered to mimic the effects of traditional opioids, Thus, people may use them for physical, mental or emotional disorders or to experience similar euphoria, sleepiness and reduced pain as by opioids. Nitazenes are available in numerous forms such as pills, powders, and sprays. Additionally, they can be pure or mixed with other drugs. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning after two suspected opioid deaths at the weekend: Met Police urge Brits to take care after pills '500 times stronger than heroin' are feared to be being used in nightclubs
An urgent warning has been issued after two people died in a suspected synthetic opioid overdose following a night out over the weekend. A man, 28, and woman, 20, are thought to have taken Nitazenes, believed to be up to 500 times stronger than heroin, after partying at a south London nightclub during the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. Their bodies were later discovered at a property in Southall, west London, after a concerned friend was unable to wake the pair. The Met Police confirmed an investigation into their 'sudden deaths' had commenced but no arrests had been made yet. The force added: 'This is following reports that the individuals allegedly passed away after taking an illicit substance in the form of a green pill.' Drug testing charity The Loop has suggested these pills contain Nitazenes, which can be '50 to 500 times stronger than heroin'. The organisation added that they are often sold under the pretence that they are oxycodone, a highly addictive prescription painkiller. A theory is that the pair thought they were taking oxycodone to assist them in getting to sleep, The Times reports. World famous south London club Ministry Of Sound warned its customers to 'stay safe' last week, just days after the deaths over Bank Holiday weekend. The pills taken by the users over the weekend had the number 80 on one side and possibly an 'OP' on the other, Ealing Council said. The Cause nightclub in east London has taken to its Instagram account to claim there had been 'several hospitalisations across multiple London venues' associated with the pills. MailOnline has approached the London Ambulance Service (LAS) to verify this statement. The Met Police has also been contacted for comment. An Ealing Council spokesperson told people to avoid taking the pills 'even in small amounts' and that people considering consuming them should not do so by themselves. Users should also think about carrying naloxone - an opioid overdose antidote. Nitazenes were first created in the 1950s as opioid painkillers but were never approved for medical use. For 70 years, their existence was forgotten. Then, after Britain and America's withdrawal from Afghanistan - and the Taliban's subsequent narcotics ban - they re-emerged as a way to strengthen low-purity heroin in case opium supplies dwindled. Experts are united in their fear of the rising risk of nitazenes. Yet, while heroin users are still vulnerable, young people buying traditionally legal drugs such as Valium and Xanax as coping mechanisms are also at risk. In fact, MailOnline analysis of data from the UK's only drug testing facility Wedinos has revealed that two-thirds of samples that contained nitazenes were supposed to be legal medications that could be purchased legally. Two-thirds of that total were bought by people intending to buy Valium (diazepam). So far, the number of nitazene-related deaths only stands at 458 in the last two years, up to April 13. However, there was a 166 per cent increase from 2023 (125 deaths) to 2024 (333 deaths) - more than double in a single year, and even that total is expected to rise once toxicology and forensic testing improves and is finalised. Steve Rolles, a senior policy analyst at the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, told MailOnline: 'The number of deaths is rising at an alarming rate. It's the tip of the iceberg. 'What has happened in the US should be a warning to policymakers in the UK. We could be heading to a US-style overdose crisis. We are talking thousands or tens of thousands dying. 'All the indications are that is what is happening. I'm very wary of scaremongering about drugs but I'm deeply worried about the potential carnage opioids could do in the UK. 'We already have the highest overdose rate in Europe. Nitazenes could make it way, way worse. 'This is a very serious public health emergency that's not being taken seriously enough.' He added: 'I am scared. There's almost one person dying every day from nitazenes and most people haven't even heard of it. 'If it was anything else, there would be national panic. The government hasn't grasped the urgency of this.' Rolles is starting to see heroin mixed with nitazenes on the streets of Britain. He said: 'It does seem it's getting more [prevalent] as the heroin supply dries up.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Warning issued after two suspected opioid deaths
Warnings have been issued by a west London council and nightclubs after two people died in suspected drug overdoses from highly potent synthetic opioids. An investigation is under way into the "sudden deaths" of a 28-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman in Southall on 26 May, the Metropolitan Police said. "This is following reports that the individuals allegedly passed away after taking an illicit substance in the form of a green pill," a spokesperson for the force added. Drug testing charity The Loop has said the pills contain synthetic opioids called Nitazenes, which can be "50 to 500 times stronger than heroin". Ealing Council said the two people who died are understood to have taken green pills with the number 80 on one face and possibly an "OP" on the other. The police said no arrests have been made in connection with the deaths. If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, help and support is available via BBC Action Line. East London nightclub The Cause posted about the pills on their Instagram account, stating there had been "several hospitalisations across multiple London venues". BBC News has contacted the London Ambulance Service (LAS) to verify this. The Loop said the pills are believed to have been sold as oxycodone. According to the NHS this is a prescription painkiller used to treat severe pain. Nitazenes are a type of high strength synthetic opioid - drugs which have a similar effect to heroin, but made in laboratories rather than from poppy seeds. Originally developed by the pharmaceutical industry in the 1950s as a painkiller, clinical trials were abandoned amid concerns about their harmful effects. These compounds are dangerous because they can be 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin, so drug users have no idea of the potency of what they are taking. The drugs suppress the respiratory system, so people can die as they stop breathing but the symptoms of an overdose can be reversed by taking an antidote called naloxone. 'Synthetic opioid was a death sentence for our dad' Deadly new drugs found in fake medicines in the UK Drug dealers offer BBC team deadly opioids The most recent government data found there were 18 deaths linked to nitazenes in London from May 2023 to June 2024. The figure was 179 across England. The Department for Health and Social Care stated the data "does not provide a comprehensive count of all deaths that may have involved potent synthetic opioids". An Ealing Council spokesperson urged people to avoid taking the green pills "even in small amounts". Anyone considering taking any other illicit pills should not do so alone, the council said, and should consider carrying naloxone - an opioid overdose antidote. If anyone feels unwell after taking a substance, they are advised to seek emergency medical attention, the spokesperson added. The Loop has also advised where such services are available to test drugs before they are taken. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to The Loop
The Independent
25-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The main ingredients in Sierra Leone's kush are synthetic opioids and cannabinoids, report finds
A new report released Tuesday by an anti-transnational crime group has identified the core chemical components of kush, a synthetic drug that has swept through Sierra Leone and the region in the past few years. The report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime conducted the first known testing of the most common varieties of kush available in Sierra Leone and neighboring West African countries and found that it contained either nitazenes or synthetic cannabinoids. 'Nitazenes are potent and often deadly synthetic opioids that have spread rapidly across global retail drug markets, including European countries, particularly since 2022," the report reads. "Illustratively, in 2023 in Estonia and Latvia, 48% and 28% of drug deaths, respectively, were attributable to nitazenes. One of the nitazenes detected in kush is 25 times more potent than fentanyl.' Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio last year declared a war on kush, calling it an epidemic and a national threat. He launched a task force on drug and substance abuse, promising to lead a government approach focused on prevention and treatment involving law enforcement and community engagement. 'We believe kush is the first case of nitazenes penetrating West Africa's drug markets. This reflects global trends, which show nitazenes and associated fatalities surging globally since late 2022,' the report stated. When contacted by phone, one of the authors of the report, Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo, described the path that kush is taking to arrive in West Africa. Originally shipped as a finished product, increasingly precursor chemicals are ordered from China via online sites like Alibaba and then combined in labs in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown. Once combined, the now psychoactive liquid is sprayed onto plant material intended to be smoked and sold as kush. There are persistent rumors about the ingredients in kush ranging from tramadol, a common pain reliever, to human bones. However, the report is careful to state that researchers uncovered no evidence of either while testing various samples. Since its introduction into the retail drug market of West Africa, kush has soared in popularity as deaths associated with it have also soared, according to the report. The synthetic opioids and cannabinoids within the drugs are highly addictive and have ravaged Sierra Leone in recent years. The drug has inspired local corruption, which has become endemic within some neighborhoods of Freetown, with 'cartels' the local name for kush smoking bars, sometimes popping up within meters (yards) of police stations and the police tasking bar owners with community policing of their own patrons. As demand for the addictive components of kush has increased, the report describes how overdose rates have increased as a result of new recipes and increased usage. 'Nitazenes started being linked to a material number of overdose deaths in the US, and were first detected by the EU early warning system in 2019," the report said. "Since then, their presence has expanded to South America, Asia and Oceania, with global detections and overdose incidents rising sharply.'
Associated Press
25-02-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
The main ingredients in Sierra Leone's kush are synthetic opioids and cannabinoids, report finds
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A new report released Tuesday by an anti-transnational crime group has identified the core chemical components of kush, a synthetic drug that has swept through Sierra Leone and the region in the past few years. The report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime conducted the first known testing of the most common varieties of kush available in Sierra Leone and neighboring West African countries and found that it contained either nitazenes or synthetic cannabinoids. 'Nitazenes are potent and often deadly synthetic opioids that have spread rapidly across global retail drug markets, including European countries, particularly since 2022,' the report reads. 'Illustratively, in 2023 in Estonia and Latvia, 48% and 28% of drug deaths, respectively, were attributable to nitazenes. One of the nitazenes detected in kush is 25 times more potent than fentanyl.' Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio last year declared a war on kush, calling it an epidemic and a national threat. He launched a task force on drug and substance abuse, promising to lead a government approach focused on prevention and treatment involving law enforcement and community engagement. 'We believe kush is the first case of nitazenes penetrating West Africa's drug markets. This reflects global trends, which show nitazenes and associated fatalities surging globally since late 2022,' the report stated. When contacted by phone, one of the authors of the report, Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo, described the path that kush is taking to arrive in West Africa. Originally shipped as a finished product, increasingly precursor chemicals are ordered from China via online sites like Alibaba and then combined in labs in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown. Once combined, the now psychoactive liquid is sprayed onto plant material intended to be smoked and sold as kush. There are persistent rumors about the ingredients in kush ranging from tramadol, a common pain reliever, to human bones. However, the report is careful to state that researchers uncovered no evidence of either while testing various samples. Since its introduction into the retail drug market of West Africa, kush has soared in popularity as deaths associated with it have also soared, according to the report. The synthetic opioids and cannabinoids within the drugs are highly addictive and have ravaged Sierra Leone in recent years. The drug has inspired local corruption, which has become endemic within some neighborhoods of Freetown, with 'cartels' the local name for kush smoking bars, sometimes popping up within meters (yards) of police stations and the police tasking bar owners with community policing of their own patrons. As demand for the addictive components of kush has increased, the report describes how overdose rates have increased as a result of new recipes and increased usage. 'Nitazenes started being linked to a material number of overdose deaths in the US, and were first detected by the EU early warning system in 2019,' the report said. 'Since then, their presence has expanded to South America, Asia and Oceania, with global detections and overdose incidents rising sharply.'
