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The discovery of a potentially deadly new opioid disguised as a painkiller has prompted a health warning in the ACT.
Cantest, the territory's Pill Testing service said that it had found the drug "N-pyrrolidino" inside a counterfeit oxycodone pill yesterday.
The new drug is a type of opioid known as nitazene, a form of opioid that is 1000 times stronger than morphine.
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According to CanTEST, it is 100 times stronger than fentanyl and carries a significant risk of fatal overdose.
The small yellow pill was brought in for testing in Canberra.
CanTEST said the pill was acquired from an unregulated drug network on the dark web, but they did not disclose the name of the seller.
This is the third nitazene-related notice released by CanTEST, and the second found in counterfeit oxycodone.
"Any type of drug sourced from the unregulated market, including convincing-looking counterfeit pharmaceuticals, may contain nitazenes or other dangerous substances," the service said.
"All nitazenes carry a risk of fatal overdose, there is no safe way to use them.
"N-pyrrolidino isotonitazene is known to cause an opioid-like overdose.
"Nitazenes cause multiple overdoses over time and people who experience a nitazene overdose require ongoing monitoring."
CanTEST urged anyone who suspects someone has overdosed to contact 000.
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Nitazenes have already taken 17 lives in Victoria, with the synthetic drugs predicted to hit the streets of major cities soon.
Just two milligrams can be a fatal dose, and the drug has also been found mixed in with others sold as MDMA, ketamine, heroin, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and even vapes.
