Drug testing services have warned of the risk of synthetic opioids in Dunedin, following a death in Napier last week. The death has been linked in the media to a notification by High Alert Drug Information and Alerts Aotearoa New Zealand. The notification stated fake oxycodone tablets were found to have contained the substance metonitazene, a highly potent synthetic opioid, which was being sold online. "The reality is this drug could potentially wind up in anything ... the potential for it to wind up in a more common party drug is entirely possible." Metonitazene had a similar potency to fentanyl, which was 100 times more potent than morphine, Mr Phillips saidWhile the problem of synthetic opioids was not strictly limited to Dunedin, Mr Phillips said it was relevant to the "perfect storm" of drug use in the city.
