✓ The Canberra TimesScience & Systems
Protonitazene, 100 times stronger than heroin, found in ACT drug death
Protonitazene, said to be at least 100 times more potent than heroin, was possibly a factor in a Canberra woman's death.
A woman who died in Canberra in July 2022 had protonitazene in her blood. Protonitazene is a highly potent synthetic opioid said to be at least 100 times more potent than heroin.
An ACT Coroner's Court decision found she died from multiple drug toxicity. Lethal levels of methadone, morphine and codeine were also present.
Coroner Ken Archer said it is in the public interest to highlight the significant risks to illicit drug users.
Why it mattersProtonitazene poses a new and extreme risk. Users often do not know what is in the drugs they consume, and its potency can make even small doses lethal.
