A white powder sold in Melbourne as cocaine actually contains a potentially lethal opioid that is more than 100 times more potent than heroin, Victoria’s health department has warned.
On Tuesday morning, a drug alert was issued for cocaine contaminated with protonitazene, a novel synthetic opioid.
Authorities are seizing more cocaine than ever – yet Australia’s appetite for the drug continues apace.Credit: Getty Images
The Department of Health said a white powder sold as cocaine that contained the opioid had caused “recent serious harms in Melbourne”.
“The product appears to produce strong adverse effects such as loss of consciousness, respiratory depression, and life-threatening hypoxia (insufficient oxygen for normal functioning),” the department said in a statement.
“Cocaine and protonitazene are very different substances. Cocaine produces stimulant effects, whereas protonitazene produces sedative effects and may lead to opioid overdose.”
The department said protonitazene had a potency more than 100 times that of heroin and suggested users carrying naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose.
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The contaminated cocaine may be a health threat for thousands of Victorians as Australia’s cocaine use has skyrocketed recently.
In 2023, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission conservatively estimated the nation consumed more than four tonnes per annum. This masthead recently reported more than a million Australians tried cocaine last year, making it our second-most popular drug, after cannabis.
Source Agencies
