A new potent opioid 1000 times stronger than morphine and 90 times stronger than fentanyl has been detected for the first time in Canberra.

Acquired from the dark web and brought to the CanTEST facility in September, the ANU’s Prof Malcolm McLeod says that within 24 hours, they’d worked out what it was and had relayed that information back to ACT Health and the community.

“We’re picking up these drugs early, hopefully before we see overdose-related harms,” he says.

The drug belongs to a group of synthetic opioids known as nitazenes, an illicit drug that is believed to carry a high risk of overdose.

“This is one of the most potent drugs of its class ever detected,” says Prof McLeod, co-author of a new paper about the detection.

“It is 1000 times stronger than morphine and 90 times stronger than fentanyl.

“This high level of potency significantly increases the risk of a fatal overdose.”

This is the third nitazene-related community notice issued by CanTEST and the second counterfeit oxycodone notice.

“We urge people to test their drugs and avoid using alone,” says Prof McLeod.

While there is an antidote available called naloxone, several doses might be required in a case such as this when dealing with increased potency.

“Call 000 immediately if you suspect someone has overdosed,” he says.

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