Nitazenes, synthetic opioids, have been detected in all types of drugs from counterfeit pharmaceuticals like Valium and oxycodone to, MDMA, ketamine, cocaine, methamphetamine – they’re even being found in vapes.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) warned yesterday that detections of dangerous drug nitazene in fake pharmaceuticals should be of grave concern to politicians and policymakers.
In their most recent media statement, the AFP said ‘Nitazenes have been detected in counterfeit pain relief medication in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory in recent months.’
Dr Marianne Jauncey, Medical Director at Uniting’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) said: ‘Overdoses are simple and easy to treat if recognised, but everyone in the sector is rightly frightened about the potential impact of nitazenes.
‘As nitazenes enter the illicit drug supply in Australia, deaths will inevitably occur – if it hits hard, it could explode. And we need to be preparing for that. And that’s what concerns me – that we are not putting the time, energy and resources into being ready.’
Uniting is calling for free and available drug checking services to be available throughout NSW and across Australia as the risk of death and other health risks increase from the sale of nitazenes in drugs being sold through the illicit drug market.
‘We need widespread drug checking services, freely available and accessible right across the country. We also need greater awareness of the Take Home Naloxone program, ensuring that people are aware of this life saving drug being freely available from pharmacies around the country.
‘Surely it makes sense to put information and power in the hands of people most at risk,’ Dr Jauncey said.
Emma Maiden, Uniting NSW.ACT’s Director Advocacy and External Relations said, ‘We all want the people we love to be safe. So, this latest announcement by the AFP about Nitazenes in counterfeit prescriptions should be setting off alarm bells for politicians and policy makers.
‘This latest alert by the AFP is yet another in a string of warnings from authorities about the detection of Nitazenes in the illicit drug market.
‘Because of our outdated and unfair drug laws and persistent inaction, one person is dying every single day from overdose in NSW – this is more than the death toll on our roads – a situation that looks likely to get a great deal worse with Nitazenes turning up in a range of drugs.
Giving people the opportunity to have a conversation with a health professional about the drugs they are planning to take helps them make more informed choices and saves lives. Making sure everyone knows about the simple, safe medicine that reverses overdose and is available for free in pharmacies.
‘More people need the opportunity to be met with a health response.
‘We need drug checking services rolled out in the community urgently. And we need greater awareness of take home naloxone.
‘Drug testing is simple, proven and it keeps the people we love safe from substances like nitazenes.
‘If one life is saved, it will be worth it,’ Emma said.
‘Every life is worth saving. One life lost is one too many, especially when we know that overdose deaths are preventable,’ she said.
Recently released results from the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) show that support for harm reduction across Australia has never been higher. Specifically, there is majority support for drug checking (now at 64 per cent) and over 4 in 5 (83 per cent) people who had recently used drugs supported drug checking.
Uniting has run the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre for 24 years and has spearheaded the Fair Treatment campaign for fairer drug laws for over six years.
