Dangerous drug alert issued after second Queensland death in a week

A highly toxic drug has claimed the life of a second person in less than a week, with advocates issuing a dire warning in the lead-up to schoolies week and the festival season.

A public health alert circulated by Queensland Health on Wednesday confirmed 5-cyano-isotodesnitazene (isotocyanozene), a rare synthetic opioid, had been detected in a toxicology test and powder sample in south-east Queensland.

The substance was described in the alert as a “novel nitazene only recently detected for the first time in Australia”, with an image showing white powder in a plastic bag labelled opiod F5.

A second person has died after ingesting a highly toxic synthetic opioid in Queensland. Credit: CheQpoint

A spokesperson for Queensland Health confirmed the latest alert related to a coronial matter currently under investigation.

It is the second death this month, with a warning issued on Friday after another type of nitazene – N-pyrrolidino protonitazene and protonitazene – was detected in a toxicology test and tablet samples taken from bear-shaped pressed pills.

Nitazenes are described as “very strong synthetic opioids that work like heroin or fentanyl and can produce life-threatening toxicity in small amounts”.

The Loop Australia chief executive Cameron Francis, who helped run the state’s first pill-testing services, said he was worried about the proliferation of nitazenes ahead of schoolies.

“Young people at schoolies would have no idea that nitazenes exist, or that they can turn up in things like ecstasy tablets, vape liquids, cocaine and ketamine,” he said.

“Young people would have no awareness of that risk, and they wouldn’t know what opioid overdose symptoms look like.”

A public health alert was circulated by Queensland Health this week after a second person died from synthetic opioids.Credit: Queensland Health

Francis said 5-cyano-isotodesnitazene was first detected last month at a pill-testing service in Canberra. He added that he was disappointed that such substances could only be detected and warned about in Queensland after someone dies.

“Whoever it was in Canberra that took that substance in and got it tested most likely had their life saved,” he said.

“Waiting for people to die is not really a good enough response in 2025.”

Asked on Wednesday about young people’s drug use ahead of schoolies, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said the best way they can stay alive “is not to take illicit drugs”.

“All these illegal, illicit drugs have dangerous chemicals that kill people,” he said.

“Only the commies in Victoria support pill testing. They are illegal for a reason – they kill you.”

Bleijie said the LNP government would crack down further on drug users, removing the “three chances” that people caught with small quantities now have before facing a criminal charge.

“The Labor Party legislated for soft drug use. They allowed people to have warnings instead of being charged with carrying illegal substances like heroin and cocaine and crystal meth,” he said.

“We’ve never supported that, and we’re going to change those laws because the only people that benefit from illegal drugs and pill testing is bikie criminal gangs.”

Health Minister Tim Nicholls was later asked about the latest death during question time in parliament, but he dismissed suggestions the government was responsible.

“As distressing as those deaths are, and of course we are extraordinarily sympathetic to the families of those involved … there is no safe way of taking drugs,” he said.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.