By Angus Thomson
The deaths of two people after a house party in Glebe have sparked a warning from health authorities about an increasing amount of illicit drugs sold as cocaine but cut with heroin and other potentially deadly opioids.
NSW Police are investigating the deaths of a 31-year-old man in Glebe and a 43-year-old woman in Newtown two weeks ago, and the state’s health department on Friday said another two people had been hospitalised after overdosing on heroin they believed to be cocaine.
Four people have overdosed in NSW after consuming drugs they believed to be cocaine. Credit:
“A heroin overdose could quickly result from a single line,” said Dr Hester Wilson, the chief addiction specialist at NSW Health. “One of the dangers of illicit drug supply is [that] the strength and contents of the substance you are getting is unknown and can be inconsistent.”
Wilson said it was difficult to tell the difference between illicit substances by appearance and recommended that people who use cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine and opioids carry naloxone – a life-saving emergency medication that reverses the effects of opioids.
Naloxone is freely available from selected pharmacists and via the NSW Users and Aids Association (NUAA) online store.
Symptoms of an opioid overdose include pinpoint pupils, drowsiness, loss of consciousness, slowed breath and blue-grey skin.
If someone has overdosed they are likely to be unconscious or unable to talk, and will need someone else to administer the naloxone either by injection or nasal spray. Naloxone lasts for 30 to 90 minutes before the person is at risk of overdosing again when it wears off, so it is crucial to call an ambulance immediately.
Dr Mary Ellen Harrod, chief executive of NUAA, said the deaths were tragic and preventable.
“We are increasingly seeing opioids mixed with stimulants, such as cocaine or other drugs,” she said. “People need to be aware of the risks and be prepared to take simple steps to prevent harm.”
Harrod said risk could be minimised by never taking drugs alone, seeking help at the first sign of unexpected effects, and carrying naloxone.
NSW Health said people would not get into trouble for seeking care and anyone who has concerns about adverse effects should call the poisons hotline on 13 11 26.
Health authorities are grappling with the growing prevalence of opioids mixed with common street drugs, and are particularly concerned about synthetic nitazenes, which can be up to 100 times stronger than heroin.
The drug was detected in the bodies of four people found dead in Melbourne’s north in July.
A surge in nitazene seizures by Australian Border Force officers has sparked fears of a new wave of overdoses in Victoria, where the drug has been found in white powder sold as cocaine.
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