Nitazenes have been found in every state and territory in Australia and in drugs from heroin to MDMA, ketamine, cocaine and counterfeit pharmaceutical products.
The class of synthetic opioids were first developed by pharmaceutical companies looking for alternatives to morphine in the 1950s, but were abandoned because they were too potent.
Nitazenes are still not being used pharmaceutically but they are starting to appear in the illicit market in Australia, reflecting trends around the world.
In the UK there's been over 170 overdose deaths from nitazenes. It's estimated there's been thousands more in the USA over the past few years. Elise Worthington reports.
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