A synthetic opioid, nitazenes, is linked to an increase in overdose deaths in the UK, with eight fatalities reported this year compared to a typical annual figure of three from opiates.

Nitazenes, developed in the 1950s, are being mixed with street drugs to enhance potency, leading to a spike in addiction and fatal overdoses.

Despite being classified as Class A drugs by the government, frontline workers like Pastor Mick Fleming argue that prohibition alone is insufficient, advocating instead for increased awareness and harm reduction strategies.

Fleming recommends wider accessibility to Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medication, to combat the surge in nitazene-related incidents.

There are concerns that the actual number of deaths associated with nitazenes is higher than reported, signaling an underrepresented and growing public health issue.