Deadly nitazene pill disguised as teddy bear found at CheQpoint testing site just hours before closure

A deadly pill disguised as a teddy bear shaped lolly has been detected at the state’s only fixed-site pill testing service just hours before its contract is terminated by the Queensland Government.

A deadly nitazene pill disguised as a teddy bear shaped lolly has been detected at the state’s only fixed-site pill testing service just hours before its contract is terminated by the Queensland Government.

The tablet was expected to be oxycodone but laboratory analysis confirmed it contained a nitazene — a substance 40 times more potent than fentanyl and linked to a wave of overdose deaths across Australia.

It is the fourth detection of a nitazene by Queensland’s pill testing service since November, highlighting the rapid and growing infiltration of these highly dangerous substances in the community.

Experts fear the increase in nitazenes will inevitably lead to an increase in overdose deaths, with the teddy bear-shaped tablet potentially attractive to children.

The closure of the service has sparked concern among health experts, who warn that Queensland is now without any real-time drug alert or overdose monitoring system. Without the pill testing, there is no co-ordinated way to warn the community about dangerous substances circulating.

The deadly nitazene pill disguised as a teddy bear shaped lolly at CheQpoint just hours before its contract is terminated by the Queensland Government. Picture: Contributed

The closure comes despite the fact that CheQpoint is currently undergoing an independent evaluation led by the University of Queensland, with findings due to be handed down on May 30.

Experts have expressed deep concern that the Queensland Government has chosen to end the service prematurely before the evidence from this evaluation has been released.

Cameron Francis from Loop who runs the pill testing clinic said the detection highlights exactly why pill testing is essential.

“We identified a high-risk substance that would be very likely to have caused serious harm or death. But with our doors now closed, Queenslanders have lost a critical early warning system,” he said.

“We fear this will lead to avoidable harm. This detection came just in time. Without ongoing drug checking, we won’t know what’s out there until it’s too late.

“If someone came forward with this tablet from this Friday, they will be turned away. It’s tragic to think of the lives that will be lost due to this decision.”

AMA Queensland president Dr Nick Yim said it was disturbing to learn a sample taken on the final day of CheQpoint’s operation has tested positive for protonitazene.

“Synthetic opioids like nitazenes can be up to 40 times stronger than fentanyl, and potentially deadly,” he said.

Originally published as Deadly nitazene pill disguised as teddy bear found at CheQpoint testing site just hours before closure