On Thursday last week, Oslo University Hospital (OUS) reported five overdoses in Oslo in a few hours. All the overdoses must have happened at Tøyen. Now it is rumored that heroin and amphetamine, also known as “speed”, which is mixed with the ultra-strong opioid fentanyl, are in circulation. This can be life-threatening in the wrong dosage. Sounding the alarm Arild Knutsen, leader of the Association for humane drug policy, believes there is reason to sound the alarm. – We need to know which user group it is, which environment it is in and which type of substance it is, he says. Fentanyl is sold in blue pill form with the “M-30” marking. Just one pill can kill several people, say the authorities. Photo: Lars Os / news Oslo municipality should set up a crisis team. They should do something extraordinary in such uncertain situations, Knutsen believes. He is worried that Oslo will see a wave of overdoses in the future, if this is not taken seriously. – If your daughter is walking around Storgata now, then you will feel extra uncomfortable after such a message, he says of the message from OUS. Knutsen has heard the rumors about fentanyl in circulation in the drug environment in Oslo. According to him, the police have also received the same rumours. The Eikaklinikken, named after Sverre Eika, also known as “the addict’s doctor”, works closely with drug addicts in Oslo. Eikaklinikken has seen a noticeable change in the drug environment in Oslo. Photo: Privat Many are anxious now, says clinic manager Hilde Irene Meyer: – We have received several reports of concern about fentanyl mixtures. They have been told that the mixture is very professionally made tablets which are often stronger and have a longer lasting effect. Local drug reform Hassan Nawaz, spokesperson for health and social policy in Oslo Høyre, believes there is cause for concern. He, too, will ask the municipality to do something, in the upcoming health and social committee meeting. – The situation appears unclear, and when this message comes from OUS, I ask myself how the municipality has mapped the situation, says Nawaz. Hassan Nawaz asks for progress in the work for a local drug reform in Oslo. Photo: Erlend Dalhaug Daae / news The right-wing politician wants the municipality to get a greater overview of the situation. – We must monitor the situation around the clock: capture the dangerous substance that is in circulation, and eliminate the problem accordingly. Nawaz is also known for the increased frequency of fentanyl on the streets of Oslo. – It is rare to see this in Norway. When it comes to mixing with fentanyl, there is a big reason to deploy extra resources. He believes this shows how strong the need for a local drug reform is in Oslo. The rumor period after overdoses Kripos, for its part, says that rumors like these are common in periods with more frequent overdoses. – So far, however, we have not uncovered the mixing of fentanyl in powdered substances such as heroin or amphetamine, says Kari Solvik, head of the section for drug analysis in Kripos. In the first half of 2022, Kripos has made eight individual seizures of fentanyl, mainly in patch form. In 2021, there were 12 seizures in total, also mainly plasters. Oslo University Hospital (OUS) has not received reports of more overdoses than usual in Oslo, after Thursday’s overdoses. Arne Skulberg, senior physician at the air ambulance department at OUS, says that no one can answer with certainty what the overdose numbers look like so far this year. Arne Skulberg says that there will always be dark figures for overdoses in Norway. Photo: Karl Jørgen Marthinsen/NTNU Since many people in the environment carry the nasal spray naloxone, a so-called antidote to heroin and morphine, not all overdoses are registered. This is one of the reasons why there will always be dark figures on overdoses, according to Skulberg. – But we respond to between 500-1000 heroin overdoses a year in Oslo, he says. The welfare agency tells news that they have not registered any increase in overdoses recently either. – But it is clear that we will continue to monitor the situation, and if it were to change, it is clear that we will follow it up. This is what Ola Svantorp-Tveiten, who is responsible for coordinating the city center work in Oslo, says.
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Several overdoses in a short time in Oslo – rumors of a lot of fentanyl in circulation – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
