legrandangle-lgm

In 2021, 21-year-old musician Dylan Rocha collapsed in his bathroom. Unaware that the heroin he received in the mail was contaminated with a powerful synthetic opioid, he became unresponsive and was soon pronounced dead. Rocha’s tragic death is believed to be one of the first in Britain linked to a nitazene – substances that can be up to 100 times more potent than heroin.

Rocha’s case is not an isolated one. Three years later, it’s part of an alarming pattern of overdose deaths involving nitazenes across the country. They have been detected in every region of England, as well as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. On the street, users play a dangerous game of Russian roulette, often unaware that their drugs may contain deadly substances. Worryingly, nitasenes have even been found in it steaming products.

Last year I warned that Britain was sleepwalking into a public health emergency, arguing that it was only a matter of time before the country faced a synthetic opioid crisis on par with the current one . ravage America. I have urged the Government to recognize the rapidly changing drug landscape prepare for the threat caused by substances such as fentanyl and nitasenes. A year later, the statistics make for grim reading. In 2023, England and Wales recorded the highest number of overdose deaths ever: 5,448 deaths in total, an increase of 11 percent on the previous year. Even more disturbing is the rise in deaths involving powerful opioids. Although fentanyl-related deaths have decreased, the number of recorded deaths involving nitazenes has increased from just one case in 2021 to 38 in 2022 and further to 52 in 2023.

The Office of Health Improvement and Disparities uses more direct, laboratory-based testing methods to paint a more current – ​​and grim – picture of the evolving drugs situation, which revealed 179 nitasen-related deaths in England between June 2023 and May 2024. Scotland, which still has the highest drug death rate in Europesaw the number of deaths from nitases rise from just one case in 2022 to 23 in 2023.

Policymakers must take urgent action to tackle this growing threat and prevent it from escalating into a full-blown public health disaster. From a political perspective, the failure to address this issue could also have serious consequences for the new Labor government. Like me argued last yearParliament must prioritize a public health approach, which means investing in harm reduction strategies such as the wider distribution of naloxone, the establishment of overdose prevention centers and the expansion of drug monitoring services. These evidence-based measures are proven to save lives and can help turn the tide of this potential crisis.

The government should also delegate drug responsibilities to local health initiatives. The Labor government has already promised to give more powers to local authorities, but if it is to truly tackle regional inequality, leaders must be given the power to tailor drug responses to the specific needs of their communities – crucial, given the fact that overdose deaths are often concentrated in the most deprived areas. Scotland’s repeated calls for drug policy decentralization highlight the potential of these steps, while also marking a significant departure from the previous government’s approach.

In the meantime, the new government must commit to developing a new comprehensive drugs strategy. The previous government’s ten-year plan relied heavily on control and enforcement of supply, and relied on punitive measures in contradiction with progressive, evidence-based approaches. A more holistic approach would address the full complexity of drug harm, integrating prevention, education and harm reduction, while also addressing the root causes of drug use, such as poverty and unemployment.

This Christmas, give a gift subscription to the New Statesman from just £49

There should be a role for enforcement. While crackdowns that criminalize users do more harm than good, efforts to limit the availability of substances like nitazenes can help. The National crime organization has identified illicit production in China and smuggling via courier services as major factors contributing to the flow of these drugs. Relevant interventions, such as diplomatic efforts to ban international production or improved border controls, could curb this influx. It is critical that these supply-side measures complement and do not overshadow harm reduction initiatives.

The government has the chance to make a fresh start and avert this looming crisis. By prioritizing public health, empowering local authorities and tackling the supply of dangerous substances, Britain can turn the tide on drugs such as nitazenes. The stakes have never been higher.