The use of nitazenes, a group of drugs which can be more potent than fentanyl, is spreading across Europe and North America, the UN drug agency has warned.
The synthetic opioids have been detected in the UK, US, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Belgium and Canada, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) wrote in its latest World Drug Report.
There has also been an increase in the number of deadly overdoses connected with nitazenes.
The super-strength drugs, of which there are several types, are significantly more potent than heroin. Their emergence has prompted urgent warnings from health agencies around the world.
It follows a ban on poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, which saw opium production drop by 95% in 2022.
It is too early to know what long-term effects this may have on factors such as heroin purity, the UNODC report says, but it will likely lead to heroin users switching to other opioids, which may “lead to an increase in overdoses”.
Read more at BBC.com
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