A drug nearly 20 times more potent than fentanyl has been detected for the first time in this province.
RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland says the synthetic opioid Nitazine was identified following an overdose in St. Anthony in December.
Garland says police are still working to identify where the drug came from, but police believe it was purchased online through the dark web.
It’s a concern, says Garland, given its extreme potency.
“This is extremely dangerous,” says Garland, adding many are familiar with the risks of fentanyl as it’s been a common, potent substance for years.
(Cpl. Jolene Garland File Photo)
But she says Nitazine is of greater concern, given its “serious, lethal effects.”
She believes purchasing the substance wasn’t the intention of the person who overdosed in St. Anthony, suggesting the drug was likely falsely labelled as morphine.
Garland warns against the purchase of such substances, especially online.
“The drug dealers, the manufacturers are not concerned with the ingredients used or the product that they’re selling, and they will resort to making it as cheap as they can to manufacture and produce without consideration for the effects on the user.”
