Bear-shaped pill kills person weeks after LNP shut down testing

A second person has died from ingesting a heroin-like synthetic opioid in Queensland, prompting the Health Department to issue a public warning weeks after the LNP government banned pill-testing services across the state.

The public health alert released on Thursday confirmed the detection of N-pyrrolidino protonitazene and protonitazene in toxicology and tablet samples in south-east Queensland. The tablets, which are pale-yellow, bear-shaped pressed pills, are similar in appearance to recreational drugs such as MDMA.

Protonitazenes are described as “very strong synthetic opioids that work like heroin or fentanyl and can produce life-threatening toxicity in small amounts”.

A Queensland Health spokesperson said the detection of the extremely potent substances “relates to a coronial and police matter currently under investigation”.

It’s the second death from a synthetic opioid this year, with the department issuing a clinical alert for protodesnitazene in March.

The earlier alert suggested the fatal drug was mistakenly sold as desmetramadol, a medication used to treat chronic pain.

Synthetic opioids such as nitazenes mimic the analogues of typical opioids but are much stronger, putting users at higher risk of fatal overdose.

The Australian Federal Police previously warned nitazenes were increasingly marketed and sold as non-opioid substances such as cocaine, MDMA, GHB and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and posed a greater threat than fentanyl.

“Taking nitazenes is like playing Russian roulette with your life – it’s a serious gamble and even the smallest amount can lead to a fatal overdose,” AFP commander Paula Hudson said.

“When mixed with other illicit drugs, users have no idea what they are taking before it’s too late.”

Not-for-profit organisation The Loop ran Queensland’s first permanent pill-testing services – CheQpoint – before they were defunded this year.

During its year of operation, CheQpoint issued 10 public alerts after detecting dangerous and potentially lethal substances, including nitazenes.

Despite widespread support from health advocates and peak bodies for drug checking services, the Crisafulli government introduced legislation last month to ban pill testing in Queensland, arguing there is no safe way to take drugs.

The Loop chief executive Cameron Francis said such rhetoric did not justify blocking access to potentially life-saving services.

“It’s true that there is no safe way to take drugs. We need to test them and warn people about some of those dangerous contents that are out there,” he said.

“We know that nitazene-type drugs are still circulating in the community … [and that] the drug market is getting more dangerous.

“We’ve seen a lot of deaths in the northern hemisphere across their festival season, so we’re deeply concerned for the safety of festival-goers this summer [and] we’re deeply concerned for Schoolies, which is coming up in just a few weeks.”

Family Drug Support Queensland state manager Anna Daglish said drug use was “non-discriminatory” and fatalities could “happen to anybody”.

“Prohibition has not worked. People are still dying from substance use,” she said.

“And when we talk about substance use, we’re not just referring to illicit substances.”

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