In total, 17 different substances have been classified as narcotics on the advice of the Public Health Agency. These include several variants of the synthetic opioids nitazener, which resemble the synthetic opioid fentanyl and can lead to respiratory arrest and death even at small doses.
"Nitazener are very powerful and dangerous substances. That's why the government is now acting quickly to regulate several new preparations that have not yet been detected in Sweden," says Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed in a press release.
The police have warned this autumn that a variant of the drug, metonitazen, is being sold in fake packages claiming to contain oxymorphone.
Nitazener has caused deaths in Sweden in recent years, as well as in several parts of Europe.
The nitazener substances that are now being regulated have, according to the government, not yet been found in Sweden. The classification of narcotics means that all handling of these substances is now illegal.
Nitazener is a group of very potent new synthetic opioids that are increasingly linked to deadly overdoses in the UK and other parts of Europe.
The substances are designed to mimic the effects of traditional opioids like heroin, but are known for their high potency and increased risk.
According to the National Board of Forensic Medicine, metonitazen and other nitazener substances have, alone or in combination with other substances, caused poisoning deaths in Sweden as well.
Signs of an overdose include, among others, decreased consciousness and respiratory depression.
Source: Stockholm Addiction Centre.
