Police have renewed warnings about potentially lethal drugs in Canberra after suspected overdose deaths rose to seven in the past month.
The deaths occurred in separate incidents, with police saying opioids are suspected to be involved in all seven cases, although the exact cause of death has yet to be determined.
Multiple non-fatal overdose incidents have also occurred, police said.
The latest warning comes after ACT Policing issued an alert in August, when five people died in separate suspected drug overdose incidents within a fortnight.
Police said opioids carry a high risk of addiction and can cause breathing difficulties, respiratory failure and death.
Officers are urging people who use drugs, as well as those around them, to be alert to the signs of an overdose, including drowsiness, loss of consciousness, unusual breathing and skin turning blue or grey.
Anyone who suspects an overdose should call 000 immediately and use naloxone if it is available.
Naloxone is a life-saving medicine that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
It is available free from CanTEST, the Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy, the Civic and Woden Needle and Syringe Programs, and some pharmacies.
"You get them in packs," Bronwyn Hendry, head of ACT Directions (which includes CanTEST), said in a press conference in August.
"We give them free at all our outlets. In participating pharmacies, you can get them free as well.
"And it has absolutely no effect besides reversing an overdose. It can't cause any ill effects to someone."
Police said an ambulance should always be called, even if naloxone has been administered.
Drugs can also be tested at CanTEST, which provides free and confidential chemical analysis of pills and drugs intended for personal use, along with tailored information and harm-reduction advice.
