{"id":20713,"date":"2026-02-14T17:51:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T16:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20713"},"modified":"2026-02-17T20:15:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:15:01","slug":"inquests-show-spread-of-deadly-synthetic-drugs-including-nitazenes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2026\/02\/inquests-show-spread-of-deadly-synthetic-drugs-including-nitazenes\/","title":{"rendered":"Inquests show spread of deadly synthetic drugs &#8211; including nitazenes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<header id=\"header-content\" data-testid=\"header-content\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-t8w0yc-ProductNavigationContainer e19b3odl1\">\n<nav class=\"ssrcss-as2ggt-Navigation e19b3odl0\" data-testid=\"navigation\" aria-label=\"BBC News\">\n<div class=\"e19jy4800 ssrcss-tqr2vl-MenuContainer-SecondaryNavBarContainer ebbwlb0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1xvly21-Wrap e42f8511\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-20ghuh-MenuListContainer e14xdrat2\" hidden=\"\">\n<ul class=\"ssrcss-t9pxd6-StyledMenuList e14xdrat1\" role=\"list\">\n<li class=\"ssrcss-1k13if-StyledMenuItem eis6szr3\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" aria-current=\"true\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><span class=\"ssrcss-12rp8ws-LinkTextContainer eis6szr1\">Health<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-yt1kbx-Wrap e42f8511\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-js09yk-ContainerWithSidebarWrapper e1jl38b40\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1jea2tf-StyledZone e1mcntqj3\">\n<article class=\"ssrcss-hmqe3h-ArticleWrapper e1nh2i2l3\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"headline\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-usmnse-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<header data-testid=\"headline\">\n<h1 id=\"main-heading\" class=\"ssrcss-1nhd1qf-Heading e10rt3ze0\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">&#8216;HIS LOSS IS MASSIVE&#8217; &#8230; THE DEATH OF GUS<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-testid=\"image\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-pqb4c0-StyledFigure e34k3c22\"><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1q3np1j-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">by <\/span><span class=\"ssrcss-nsjd43-TextContributorName epw3ir01\">Alex Homer &#8211; BBC News <\/span>Shared Data Unit &#8211; 12 February 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><i class=\"ssrcss-xbdn93-ItalicText e5tfeyi2\">Additional reporting: Navtej Johal\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/i><\/span><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><i class=\"ssrcss-xbdn93-ItalicText e5tfeyi2\">Additional data journalism: Paul Bradshaw<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">Highly potent synthetic opioid drugs called nitazenes, which experts say can be many times more potent than heroin, have been linked to hundreds of deaths in the UK.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Records show some people are taking them by accident, as they are mixed in with other drugs as cheap substitutes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">So how are nitazenes making their way into the supply chain, and are the authorities doing enough to curb their spread?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Undecided about what he wanted to do after his A-levels, Gus tried a range of jobs and travelled overseas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">He filmed himself hiking up volcanoes in Mexico and captured the effects of climate change. It made up his mind to apply for a university&#8217;s journalism course.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">A week after he returned home his mother Nicola found he had unintentionally overdosed and died at the age of 21.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;I loved him very much and his loss is massive,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The awful thing is, I think he was at one of the best places in his life.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Gus had sat down to watch a film and eat a takeaway and taken what he believed was a tablet of\u00a0oxycodone<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">,\u00a0external<\/span>, a strong pain medication which he had bought illicitly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Three months later, Nicola received a post-mortem report saying the tablet was actually a type of nitazene.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Despite a career spent in medicine as a consultant radiologist, she had never heard of these synthetic opioid drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">A coroner later concluded her son&#8217;s death was drug-related, caused by the &#8220;substitution&#8221; of a nitazene in place of what he had sought to buy.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-testid=\"image\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-pqb4c0-StyledFigure e34k3c22\"><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1q3np1j-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Nicola said: &#8220;I can tell you that is the most awful thing to suddenly open an e-mail and read your child&#8217;s post-mortem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;It said that there was nitazene in his bloodstream and this was thought to be the cause of death, and I thought &#8216;what the hell is that?'&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Gus is among hundreds of people whose deaths have been linked to nitazenes since they\u00a0first made news in the UK in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Professor Michel Kazatchkine, a founding member of the Global Commission on Drugs Policy, said the numbers of deaths meant the UK was &#8220;by far outpacing all other countries [in Europe] and it&#8217;s even outpacing Canada&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The BBC Shared Data Unit has analysed exclusive data from\u00a0The National Programme on Substance Use Mortality (NPSUM)<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">,\u00a0external<\/span>. It is made up of voluntary reports of inquest records from coroners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The records are not exhaustive because not all coroners volunteer them and it takes seven months on average for\u00a0drug-related deaths to be registered<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">,\u00a0external<\/span>, so some appear in the following year&#8217;s figures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The records analysed are for 286 inquests involving deaths linked forensically to nitazenes by the end of March 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-testid=\"image\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-pqb4c0-StyledFigure e34k3c22\"><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1q3np1j-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Dr Caroline Copeland, director of NPSUM and senior lecturer in pharmacology and toxicology at King&#8217;s College London, said the records showed some of those affected were among the &#8220;most marginalised&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">More than one in five people in the records had &#8220;a lack of stable housing, living in the most deprived parts of the country with incredibly high levels of unemployment and with a high burden of mental health disorders,&#8221; she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Our analysis also found:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-2st5ed-ListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Nine in 10 of the inquest records were for men<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Ages ranged from 17 to 66, with many in their 40s<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Most were known to use drugs<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">More than half the people died in their homes<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Almost every inquest concluded the death was by accident<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-testid=\"image\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-pqb4c0-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2026\/02\/inquests-show-spread-of-deadly-synthetic-drugs-including-nitazenes\/vial-nitazene\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-20732\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20732\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Vial-nitazene.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"981\" height=\"551\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Vial-nitazene.jpg 981w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Vial-nitazene-640x359.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Vial-nitazene-768x431.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 981px) 100vw, 981px\" \/><\/a><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1q3np1j-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><em><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The amount of nitazene &#8211; ordered legitimately for research purposes &#8211; in this vial was enough for a potentially fatal dose for ten people, Copeland said<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The opioid antidote naxolone is viewed as key to preventing deaths from substances like nitazenes, but was detected in just one in every seven inquest records.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">In January 2025, the\u00a0coroner reviewing the death of Joe Black raised concerns<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">,\u00a0external<\/span>\u00a0naloxone was only available to take home from some substance misuse services and many people who used drugs were also not engaging with them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Joe, who had schizophrenia and substance misuse disorder, was found dead aged 39 from an overdose including heroin adulterated with nitazenes at a hostel in Camden, London.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Neither the hostel nor the mental health NHS Trust which were treating Joe were permitted to give naloxone kits to their residents or patients who were known to use drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">In December, the Department of Health and Social Care\u00a0began a 10-week consultation<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">,\u00a0external<\/span>\u00a0on proposed legislative changes to expand naloxone access in the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">His mother Jude said: &#8220;Joe was a wonderful, sensitive, caring, intelligent, talented young man. And he, like everybody else, had a right to live.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;He also was carrying this terrible illness and coping as best he could, and was hugely vulnerable to exploitation and accidental overdose.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">She said it was &#8220;negligent&#8221; it had taken nearly a year since the inquest for the consultation to begin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;I feel it diminishes the value of my son&#8217;s life and the tragedy of his death.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;People like Joe are still hugely at risk and I&#8217;m sure they&#8217;re still dying.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-testid=\"image\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-pqb4c0-StyledFigure e34k3c22\"><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1q3np1j-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">In Sandwell, West Midlands, the charity Cranstoun is trialling a new type of outreach service.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Sue McCutcheon goes out proactively to find people on the street who have substance dependence issues and may not be willing or able to use traditional services for help.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">She is a nurse with more than 30 years&#8217; experience and can prescribe treatments and hand out naloxone, which she describes as &#8220;like a duty of care or a moral issue&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">She said: &#8220;If these people don&#8217;t come into our buildings to get naloxone, where are they going to get it from?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-testid=\"image\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-pqb4c0-StyledFigure e34k3c22\"><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1q3np1j-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The National Crime Agency (NCA) believes nitazenes are being smuggled into the UK through the post. Due to their strength, they can be secreted in small volumes in parcels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The\u00a0ban on harvesting opium poppies in Afghanistan\u00a0has previously been suggested as the cause. Opium is the key ingredient for heroin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Adam Thompson, the NCA&#8217;s head of drugs threat, said while heroin purity had dropped on the streets, there were still no signs of shortage in the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;In most cases, organised criminals&#8217; sole motivation for using nitazenes is greed. They buy potent nitazenes cheaply and mix them with other drugs&#8230; to strengthen the product being sold and make significant profits,&#8221; he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The government said it would keep enhancing its surveillance and early warning systems to alert people when new drugs emerged.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Analysis of the inquest records showed multiple drugs were being increasingly implicated in people&#8217;s deaths &#8211; called polydrug use.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-testid=\"image\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-pqb4c0-StyledFigure e34k3c22\"><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1q3np1j-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Dr Alex Lawson is a consultant clinical scientist in toxicology for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">After a spike in nitazene-related deaths in the city in summer 2023,\u00a0lessons have been shared<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">,\u00a0external<\/span>\u00a0by the city&#8217;s agencies to inform contingency plans elsewhere if there were a similar outbreak.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">One in every seven of the NPSUM records we analysed were from the coroner&#8217;s area Lawson&#8217;s team covers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">They routinely tests blood, urine and other tissues for the presence of up to 2,500 different types of drugs &#8211; but that level of investigation is not uniform across all coroner areas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;Things are improving but the nitazenes that people are testing for will vary from lab to lab, and not every laboratory will be able to keep up to date with the newest nitazenes that are on the market,&#8221; Lawson said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Copeland has co-authored research published this week which says nitazenes-related deaths may have been under-estimated by up to a third.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The research found the drugs deteriorate in post-mortem blood samples more quickly than most forensic samples are handled in the real world, so they may not be detected.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"subheadline\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-usmnse-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"subheadline\">\n<h2 id=\"Concerns-over-misselling\" class=\"ssrcss-1fbl9fk-Heading e10rt3ze0\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\" role=\"text\">Concerns over mis-selling<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The\u00a0most recent annual report<span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">,\u00a0external<\/span>\u00a0from the UK&#8217;s only national drug-testing service, WEDINOS, found more than a third of the samples it tested did not contain what the purchaser had intended to buy, while some contained extra substances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Copeland said at the start of 2023 nitazenes were mostly found contaminating heroin, but now they are being found as a complete substitute for other drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;The complete mis-selling is something that is very concerning for nitazenes, because people don&#8217;t know what they&#8217;re taking, so they&#8217;re not going to be able to take the necessary precautions,&#8221; she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-testid=\"image\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-pqb4c0-StyledFigure e34k3c22\"><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-1q3np1j-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">In October 2025, the government began a new campaign targeting 16 to 24-year-olds and social media users to raise awareness of harms from drugs, including nitazenes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">It said it had guaranteed funding for council public health schemes for the next three years, including \u00a33.4bn protected for drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and\u202frecovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The BBC&#8217;s request for an interview was declined, but a spokesperson said its strategy involved strengthening border security to block &#8220;these lethal substances from entering the country&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Naloxone was also now being carried by officers in 32 police forces out of the 45 covering the UK, they said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Nicola said: &#8220;You don&#8217;t want your child to be judged. There&#8217;s always a stigma with certain types of death and substances is one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;And I didn&#8217;t want Gus to be tarred with any of that, so at first you don&#8217;t say anything and then I thought, I have to tell his friends and I have to tell people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;He wasn&#8217;t a great sleeper. I think he just thought he would take something, it would relax him and he would just have a nice sleep that night, and it put him to sleep and he never woke up.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><i class=\"ssrcss-xbdn93-ItalicText e5tfeyi2\">Source: https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/ce3enqnnpy8o<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Health &#8216;HIS LOSS IS MASSIVE&#8217; &#8230; THE DEATH OF GUS by Alex Homer &#8211; BBC News Shared Data Unit &#8211; 12 February 2026 Additional reporting: Navtej Johal\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Additional data journalism: Paul Bradshaw Highly potent synthetic opioid drugs called nitazenes, which experts say can be many times more potent than heroin, have been linked [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,68,145,128],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-drug-use-various-effects","category-nitazenes","category-uk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20713"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20734,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20713\/revisions\/20734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}