What are Nitazenes? The ‘particularly dangerous’ synthetic opioid

Nitazenes, a type of man made drug, have been deemed as ‘particularly dangerous’ by the Public Health Agency.

The comments follow a recent inquest into the death of a man in Portadown.

33-year-old Jay Woolsey, sadly died at this home in August 2024. It was later determined Nitazenes were involved in his his death.

What are nitazenes?

Nitazenes are a type of synthetic opioid, now classified as a Class A controlled drug. They are man-made drugs intended to imitate the effects of natural opioids, such as heroin.

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Originally made in 50s for pharmaceutical research, they entered Northern Ireland’s drug market in the summer of 2021.

They have no approved medicinal use.

Read more: Nitazenes ‘should worry everybody in this country’ warns coroner

They may be sold as heroin but are significantly stronger, traces have also been found in counterfeit medicines.

They can be manufactured in laboratories, with most reported to originate from China. At this time, the PSNI have had no reports of manufacture in Northern Ireland.

What effect can they have?

Nitazenes are used to mimic what a real opioid would do, but according to the Public Health Agency, their potency hugely increases the risk of overdose, with many unaware of the presence of nitazenes within their supply.

The fact they are manmade in a lab, with no medical purpose, makes them ‘particularly dangerous’ according to the PHA.

This makes them a lot stronger. Nitazenes are hundreds of times more potent than heroin.

How’s it getting out there?

With advances in the digital world has increased the accessibility of drugs.

Anyone with access to the internet has the potential of being able to log on and order drugs online.