The use of super strength street drugs, referred to as Nitazenes, which are “500 times stronger than morphine”, have reportedly led to multiple deaths across Northern Ireland for the first time, according to a coroner. A total of six deaths have been linked to these synthetic opioids which may be injected, inhaled or swallowed adding to the fear that this synthetic drug problem could spiral out of control. Whilst local addiction services agree with the need for more rapid intervention and testing to tackle this issue, it seems a global synthetic drugs crisis has indeed reached Northern Ireland.
Nitazenes were first developed in the 1950s as a pain-killing medication but have never been approved for medical or therapeutic use due to their potency and addictiveness. They have been linked to thousands of deaths in the United States and were reported to have been cut and mixed into other drugs in 2019. Nitazenes are extremely dangerous and significantly increase the risk of overdose and death, particularly if mixed with other substances.
Earlier this year, public health warnings were issued in Scotland and the Midlands after a sharp rise in drug overdoses and deaths as a result of Nitazene abuse. Group director of therapeutic and wellbeing services at Inspire in Belfast, Alex Bunting, says news of the six deaths reinforce the need for more early and rapid testing and “more funding for our mental health and substance abuse strategy”.
Gary McMichael, chief executive of the charity ASCERT, which offers alcohol and drug addiction support services across Northern Ireland, believes Nitazenes are a game changer in terms of the risk of serious harm, overdose, and death. McMichael emphasised the need for all agencies to move quickly to prevent further tragedies as “people who are vulnerable are becoming even more vulnerable because of funding cuts, because of the restrictions in budgets so the supports, the safety nets, are under stress. We’re seeing a pressure on resources and on top of that we also have a culture in NI of people using drugs in combination with others which increases the risk.
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