'His loss is massive': Inquests show spread of deadly synthetic drugs

"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. Records show some people are taking them by accident, as they are mixed in with other drugs as cheap substitutes. So how are nitazenes making their way into the supply chain, and are the authorities doing enough to curb their spread? Undecided about what he wanted to do after his A-levels, Gus tried a range of jobs and travelled overseas."

""I loved him very much and his loss is massive," she said. "The awful thing is, I think he was at one of the best places in his life." Gus had sat down to watch a film and eat a takeaway and taken what he believed was a tablet of oxycodone, a strong pain medication which he had bought illicitly. Three months later, Nicola received a post-mortem report saying the tablet was actually a type of nitazene."

Nitazenes are highly potent synthetic opioids that can be many times stronger than heroin and have been linked to hundreds of deaths in the UK. Some users ingest nitazenes accidentally because they are mixed into other drugs as cheap substitutes, leading to unintentional overdoses. A young man died after taking what he believed was illicit oxycodone; post-mortem tests found a nitazene and a coroner attributed the death to substitution. Families and some medical professionals may be unaware of these compounds without specific testing. Experts warn UK nitazene deaths outpace many other countries, prompting concerns about detection, regulation, and prevention.

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