UN warns of new deadly synthetic opioids

"Nitazenes – a group of synthetic opioids that can be more potent than fentanyl – have recently emerged in several high-income countries, leading to an increase in overdose deaths," the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a press release.

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The agency's annual report noted that the drug had been detected in Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Other organizations, including the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), have also warned of the emergence of nitazenes.

Global opium production fell 74% in 2023, after the Taliban banned it in Afghanistan, according to the UNODC.

“The purity of heroin on the market is expected to decline,” the UNODC noted, warning that “heroin users may switch to other opioids,” and that these drugs “pose significant health risks.”

However, the cocaine market is “still booming” with global cocaine supply continuing to rise to a record high of more than 2,700 tonnes in 2022, up 20% from the previous year.

According to the UNODC, a total of nearly 292 million people worldwide used a drug in 2022, up 20% from a decade ago. In 2022, cannabis remained the most widely used drug worldwide, with an estimated 228 million users.

Cao Phong (according to UN, Reuters, CNA)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/lien-hop-quoc-canh-bao-ve-loai-thuoc-phien-tong-hop-gay-chet-nguoi-moi-post301081.html