Queensland Health has issued a public health warning after teddy bear-shaped pills laced with synthetic opioids, known as nitazenes, were linked to a death in the state's south-east. The pills, pale yellow and marked with the letter 'Y', contained N-pyrrolidino-protonitazene and protonitazene, highly potent opioids that can cause life-threatening toxicity in small amounts.
A Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed the detection relates to a coronial matter under investigation but declined to comment further on the fatality. The health body urged anyone who suspects they may have the pills not to consume them and to dispose of them safely, warning that symptoms of toxicity include extreme drowsiness, pinpoint pupils, coma, slow or obstructed breathing, and respiratory failure.
This is the second nitazene warning in Queensland this year, following the detection of protodesnitazene in March, which was found in a chalky brown powder sold as desmetramadol. The Australian Federal Police last year warned that recreational drugs like cocaine and MDMA could be laced with nitazenes, and in May reported a 'worrying spike' in the drugs found in counterfeit pain medications.
The warning comes just weeks after Queensland passed a law banning pill testing, a move criticised by health experts. Cameron Francis, CEO of Loop Australia, which operated a pill testing service in Bowen Hills, said the ban would lead to more overdose deaths, noting the lack of an overdose monitoring system or early warning network in the state. Queensland Health advised that naloxone can reverse nitazene effects, but detection strips are not always effective.
