Two dead from suspected overdoses as police seek to avoid more preventable deaths from drugs

Two people have died from suspected drug overdoses in separate incidents over the last 24 hours as police encourage people to exercise caution when using illegal drugs.

ACT Policing said the two deaths mean four people have died as a result of suspected drug overdoses in the past two months.

While the exact cause of the overdoses is yet to be determined, police said they suspect high drug purity levels or the addition of synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl or nitazene, may be responsible.

ACT Policing Detective Acting Superintendent Dave Craft said synthetic opioids have been identified in the ACT as recently as May this year.

“While police are focused on disrupting drug suppliers who deliberately cause harm and misery to our community, we want to raise awareness on this issue and encourage illicit drug users to engage in harm minimisation practices and protect themselves from these harmful substances currently in circulation,” he said.

“There is no safe drug use. However, we understand drug addiction is a health issue. In light of recent overdoses that police have attended, we are urging those who are using drugs to do this as safely as possible.

“Police have responded to incidents where people have lost consciousness outside in the middle of the night and haven’t been found until the next morning. We don’t want to see more preventable deaths in our community.”

Synthetic opioids, like fentanyl or nitazene, carry a high risk of addiction, breathing difficulties or respiratory failure and death.

In August, CanTEST reported that MDMA, ketamine and cocaine were the most commonly tested drugs, followed by methamphetamine and heroin.

Other substances presented for testing included psychedelic drugs, counterfeit and falsified medications sold on the black market, and substances mimicking other drugs.

In its second year of operation, the service tested 1786 samples (up from 1153) and 2447 interventions (up from 1594).

Earlier this year, the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force (ABF) warned in May that the agencies had seen a rise in attempted imports of nitazene, a synthetic opioid considered equal to or more potent than fentanyl.

At the time, ABF officers had 22 detections of suspected nitazene imports in postal packages sent to Australia from the United Kingdom via mail cargo in October 2023 and seized 742 tablets confirmed to contain metonitazene.

Before this, there had been only two other instances of the synthetic opioid being detected by the ABF.

The impacts of nitazene (and other opioids) can be temporarily reversed by naloxone, which is available at some pharmacies and health services.

CanTEST provides free and confidential chemical analysis of pills and drugs intended for personal use, as well as tailored information and harm reduction advice.

A range of support services and advice for those using drugs are also available from Canberra drug treatment organisations.

For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drug treatment services, you can call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015. Free 24/7 drug and alcohol counselling and more information about addiction and support are available through Turning Point.

Local information and support can be found through CAHMA.

CanTEST service is located inside the City Community Health Centre at 1 Moore St, Canberra City. It is open every Thursday from 3 pm to 6 pm and Friday from 6 pm to 9 pm.

If you encounter someone who may be experiencing an overdose, call an ambulance on Triple Zero (000) immediately.