Nitazenes – new drugs, new risks

The Forward Trust, a national addiction recovery charity, says that the findings from this investigation confirms what we have feared – that the illegal drugs market in the UK is shifting in a worrying direction with the arrival of these synthetic forms of opiate-type drugs, that can be 100 times more potent than heroin. 

The Forward Trust, a national addiction recovery charity, has recently issued a national alert to staff warning of the increased risk of deaths by overdose - across the UK, Nitazenes have already been linked to 101 deaths between 1 June 2023 and 22 February 2024, according to the National Crime Agency. 

While this is still a small proportion of the almost 5,000 annual drug related deaths in the UK, the new trend is significant, and must not be allowed to reach US levels, where more than 70,000 deaths last year were linked to synthetic opioids.

Mike Trace, CEO of The Forward Trust said;  

“We are seeing the drug market in the UK shift in a worrying direction, driven by the profit motive of traffickers, so police and border authorities need to react quickly.

“But we also know that there are public health measures that can help reduce overdose death risks - accessible and accurate safety advice, harm reduction services, and offering people living with addiction a practical way out.”

A special programme, "The New Drug Threat", can be found on BBC iPlayer.

For further information and to arrange an interview please contact; Fiona.mcdonald@forwardtrust.org.uk Tel: 074 8531 5614 

Media coverage

BBC interviews with Mike Trace CEO of Forward Trust

News media

-ENDS- 

Editors notes 

About Synthetic Opioids and Nitazenes 

• Like other opioids, Nitazenes can cause fatal respiratory depression, and can be a hundred times more potent than heroin.  
• Nitazenes are relatively easy to produce, easier to transport and to mix with other drugs without the consumer knowing what they are taking. In the UK, Nitazenes have been detected in substances sold as heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines, and cannabis products. 
• Very small amounts of these substances can kill, and overdoses on Nitazenes are much harder to reverse with the existing first-response medicine, Naloxone. 
• In January, The Lancet reported that the UK is “in the midst of a drug-related crisis” and that without concerted action, “Nitazenes could devastate communities of people who use a range of drugs.” Read the full article here.

About The Forward Trust 

• The Forward Trust empowers people to break the cycles of addiction or crime to fulfil their potential. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change, as celebrated in our More Than My Past and Taking Action on Addiction campaigns. Our services have supported thousands of people to make changes to create better lives with jobs, family, friends and a sense of community.  
• The Forward Trust is a national organisation, with services located in England and Wales. We have over 70 separate service delivery projects, with more than 20,000 clients per year supported by 700 staff and 200 volunteers. We are proud that around 30% of our workforce have lived experience of the issues we seek to address.  
• Mike Trace is CEO of the Forward Trust and has had a 40-year history of working on addiction and drug policy. He served as the Deputy UK Drug ‘Czar’ in the Blair government, and has held senior positions in the European Union and United Nations. 
• Forward runs two campaigns that address the stigma people with lived experience of addiction and/or criminal justice face. Please visit the campaign sites to find out more: https://www.actiononaddiction.org.uk/ and https://morethanmypast.org.uk/.