An alarming presence of highly potent synthetic opioids, known as nitazenes, have been found in drug users in Africa, a report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) has disclosed.
The development marks the first time the dangerous substances have been detected among drug users on the continent.
Nitazenes, which are up to 100 times more potent than heroin and 10 times more potent than fentanyl, pose a significant risk of overdose and death due to the small amounts needed to achieve an effect.
Previously, these synthetic opioids have been associated with overdose deaths in Western countries and Asia.
The report, released on Wednesday, focused on Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, based on chemical testing of ‘kush,’ a cannabis derivative mixed with synthetic drugs like fentanyl and tramadol, and chemicals such as formaldehyde.
Eighty-three per cent of the samples tested in Sierra Leone contained nitazenes, while the figure was 55% in Guinea-Bissau.
“The GI-TOC believes that these results are the first indication that nitazenes have penetrated retail drug markets in Africa,” the report stated.
Drug addiction among young people in West and Central Africa is a growing concern, with between 5.2% and 13.5% of the population using cannabis, the most widely consumed illicit substance on the continent, according to the World Health Organisation.
In Sierra Leone, kush has become one of the most widely consumed drugs, leading President Julius Maada Bio to declare it an epidemic and a national threat on April 4.
The report highlighted that nitazenes had been repeatedly detected in substances sold to young people in the region, often without their knowledge of the associated risks.
The findings suggest that nitazenes are being imported into Sierra Leone and that the kush sold in Guinea-Bissau shares a similar chemical composition to that found in Freetown.
The report emphasised the need for officials in both countries to deploy chemical testing equipment as a critical first step in combating drug abuse.
“Without this, it is impossible for the government of Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and the wider sub-region to accurately monitor the countries’ illicit drug markets and develop evidence-based responses,” the report concluded.