Synthetic opioids: warning issued in NSW after nitazenes cause cluster of overdoses

NSW Health chief addiction medicine specialist, Dr Hester Wilson, said it was essential for people who used drugs to carry naloxone and to call an ambulance if they suspected an overdose. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

A cluster of 20 drug overdoses in New South Wales has prompted the state’s health department to issue a public warning about the danger of synthetic opioids, which are often substantially more powerful than heroin.

Called nitazenes, the drugs are often mixed into other substances such as MDMA and heroin without the user’s knowledge.