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- People who have purchased unmarked yellow pills containing dangerous drugs are urged to throw them away.
- A potentially lethal synthetic opioid called methonitazene has been linked to deaths abroad.
- ACT Health has issued the first “red alert” for this drug.
The ACT government has issued the first-ever ‘red alert’ for drugs detected through Australia’s first fixed pill testing site.
A powerful synthetic opioid called methonitazene was contained in an unmarked, round, yellow tablet marketed as oxycodone. It is often called an oxy-tablet and is commonly used for pain relievers.
People who may have unknowingly purchased lethal drugs have been linked to deaths in New Zealand, is urged to throw them away.
ACT Health said it was particularly concerned about the effects of drugs mixed with alcohol and other substances.
“If you use drugs alone, then use drugs again after a break, and if different drugs are mixed, there is a higher risk of overdose. Combining alcohol, benzos and opioids is very dangerous,” ACT Health said. said. .
“Illegal drug use poses risks to health. ACT Health issued this warning because the unintended effects of this particular substance can be very dangerous.”
How was the drug detected?
Counterfeit tablets were detected after they were submitted for inspection at the free tablet testing service CanTEST.
Stephanie Stephens, deputy CEO of Directions Health Services, said it was positive that the substance was detected before it caused deaths from ingestion.
But she said all Australian jurisdictions would need careful monitoring.
the importance of [pill testing sites] Identifying drugs that hit the market early is absolutely life-saving,” she told SBS News.
“We know it (methonitazen) is circulating – and it has landed people in hospitals abroad, including in New Zealand. Yes, it’s a similar situation.”
She said experts like her are concerned about the lethality of lab-made drugs and how easily they slip into street drugs.
Metnitazene falls into the group of illicit and potentially deadly synthetic opioids known as nitazenes. Nitazen, a street drug, is up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl, and fentanyl itself is 50 times more potent than heroin.
NSW Health last week It was found with heroin leading to higher levels of hospitalization in the Central Coast region of the state.
What are the warning signs of overdose?
According to ACT Health, symptoms of methonitazen overdose include slow breathing/snoring, drowsiness, loss of consciousness, and blue or gray skin.
Stevens said he knows what to do in case of an overdose.
“Overdose can lead to complete loss of consciousness, respiratory depression, e.g. slow breathing to the point of snoring, blue or gray discoloration of the skin and, in the worst case, death.”
ACT Health is urging people who observe overdose warning signs to call 000 and stay with the affected person until an ambulance arrives.
Importantly, those using the life-saving drug naloxone are urged by ACT Health to use it to temporarily reverse an overdose from this type of lethal drug. Calling 000 is recommended even after using naloxone.
Naloxone is available in ACT from CanTEST through the Civic and Woden Needle and Syringe Programs, over-the-counter at select pharmacies, or by contact.
How are the police responding to this situation?
A spokesperson for ACT Policing told SBS News that anyone considering using illegal drugs should consider the drug’s safety and potential consequences.
“ACT Policing supports harm minimization initiatives such as pill testing and has actively engaged with the ACT government and other stakeholders on this issue,” the spokesperson said. .
“ACT Policing encourages anyone considering using illegal drugs to consider their own safety and how an unknown substance might affect them.”
CanTEST is Australia’s first fixed-site drug testing clinic, offering free and confidential chemical analysis for illegal substances twice a week at its facility in Canberra’s CBD.
Service launched in July after two successful attempts at 2018 and 2019.
This follows a string of drug-related deaths at Australian festivals from 2016 to 2019. Post-mortem investigations into deaths in NSW and Victoria recommended that more parts of Australia try the pill test.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/red-alert-issued-over-dangerous-drug-detected-in-australia-heres-the-warning-for-festivalgoers/6fy4ns7x1 A ‘dangerous drug’ has been detected in Australia and an emergency alert has been issued.Click here for notes to festival participants
