Coroner warning after overdose deaths from 'designer drug' mixed with heroin
Share:
A powerful ‘designer drug’ which is secretly mixed with heroin or passed off as ketamine is killing users, as a coroner warns that not enough is being done to tackle the rising number of deaths. Nitazenes, which are said to be much more powerful than heroin, were reclassified as class A drugs by the government in 2023 amid concerns they were beginning to flood the UK market.
The synthetic opioids, such as protonitazene and metonitazene, mirror the effects of morphine and fentanyl but are much more powerful – raising the danger of accidental overdose. Coroner Ian Potter has now warned that an “antidote” to a nitzene overdose is available, but is not widely enough available to save the lives of users.
Joseph Forbes Black, 39, died at home in north London on August 9, 2023, after taking heroin which had been mixed with protonitazene and metonitazene. Mr Potter, who conducted the inquest, concluded the presence of the synthetic opioids “more than minimally contributed to his death”, and issued a report calling for action from the government and NHS England.
He said a nationwide alert was issued in July 2023 about the new trend of nitazenes being mixed with heroin, radically increasing the potency of batches of drugs. Mr Forbes Black, who had a history of class A drug use and was also diagnosed with schizophrenia, was told by mental health services about the nitazenes alert and the heighten risk of using drugs.
