On Wednesday morning, the East police district reported that a 20-year-old from Nedre Romerike has died after taking protonitazen. This came out in the autopsy of the person concerned. – If we’re unlucky, someone has a batch of this drug and sells it on, and that’s worrying, says Vegar Brustad, first officer at Lillestrøm police station. The 20-year-old died in mid-October. First time in Norway Protonitazen can be many times stronger than the notorious opioid fentanyl, which is between 75-100 times stronger than heroin. This is so far the first recorded death related to the substance in Norway. The health authorities confirmed last week that several life-threatening incidents have been registered in Norway with the narcotic drug protonitazen. – Consuming only small amounts can lead to overdose, says senior researcher Ola Røed Bilgrei at the Institute of Public Health. According to FHI, Estonia has registered 19 deaths related to the drug so far this year. The substance was discovered in Sweden in October, and has now arrived in Norway. Protonitazen Protonitazen is a synthetic opioid that was developed by a Swiss pharmaceutical company in the 1950s. It was intended as an alternative to morphine, but due to serious side effects, the drug was never used. The substance was discovered by forensics in the US and Canada in 2020, and it has since spread to Europe and Australia. It does not result in fentanyl tests or other rapid tests to detect chemical content. So far, the substance has been analytically confirmed in Sweden, Germany and Estonia, and now in Norway. In Estonia, 19 deaths have so far been registered this year related to this group of synthetic opioids. Sweden has not registered any poisonings, but they issued warnings about this substance in October. Source: FHI Often used as a nasal spray Arild Knutsen, head of the Association for humane drug policy, believes there is reason to sound the alarm. – The protonitaze has already been discovered in two cases. One in Bergen and one in Oslo. In one case, it was detected in a nasal spray bottle. It can also occur in heavy drug environments. – Now it is important that outreach services and others who work towards younger people spread information about this new drug and the sky-high risk of overdose that it poses, Knutsen tells news. Arild Knutsen believes there is reason to be concerned. Photo: Marit Sirum-Eikre / news – In other countries, protonitazen is known to be mixed into ketamine and other opiates. In powder form, it is so concentrated that it takes a grain of salt before a lethal dose. It is very difficult to mix in a nasal spray with a dosage low enough for one to survive. Unpredictable quantity No one knows how much of the new substance exists in Norway. The drug has not been seized as of now, Kripos reported last week. – Therefore it is difficult to know anything about the real distribution of this substance, says Ola Røed Bilgrei in FHI. FHI encourages people to be aware, avoid using drugs alone and to be quick to call for healthcare if a serious situation arises. – It may also be wise to be aware of drugs found in nasal spray bottles.
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20-year-old died after taking a new, life-threatening drug – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
