An alarm bell has just been sounded in Australia: an extremely powerful synthetic opioid substance, protodesnitazene, was identified for the first time in the territory. If this discovery already worries the health authorities because of its lethal potential, it is above all its appearance in black market vaping liquids which raises serious concerns. Behind this alert lies a growing problem: the increasing use of e-cigarettes as a vector for illicit substances, particularly among the most vulnerable.
E-liquids contaminated with opioids
According to Australian health authorities, this new-generation nitazene was found in vaping products used by a group of people in Sydney. These users were completely unaware that their vapes contained a synthetic opioid. Some developed severe physical dependence on opioids without ever having intended to use it. One of them even presented himself to the emergency room in a state of withdrawal, without understanding the origin of his symptoms.
Vaping, a new target for traffickers
Nitazenes, chemically manufactured substances, are often more potent than fentanyl—an opioid already responsible for an epidemic of deaths in North America. Their manufacture requires neither opium nor natural resources, making them easily accessible to criminal networks.
Faced with the intensification of controls on classic opioids, clandestine manufacturers are innovating and distributing these molecules in unconventional consumption channels, especially e-liquids. Vaping thus becomes a discrete vector of the spread of these deadly substances, which is all the more difficult to control as the products are often sold under the counter or online, without any regulation.
A political response that is out of step
Even as this threat emerges, the Queensland government paradoxically plans the closure of two drug testing centersA decision deemed irresponsible by many health experts, who point out that these services allow the rapid identification of the presence of toxic substances in consumed products.
Marianne Jauncey, medical director of the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre, points out that the drugs currently circulating on the black market are more complex and dangerous than everConsumers don't know what they're inhaling or ingesting—a situation that makes harm reduction devices more essential than ever.
Increased vigilance around vaping equipment
Health professionals are now calling for a increased vigilance around e-liquids : any purchase outside the official circuit, in particular on the internet or via unauthorized sellers, constitutes a major riskIt is recommended to avoid any refills whose origin has not been verified, and to make users aware of the potential dangers, including those of products that appear harmless.
The distribution of naloxone, an antidote to opioid overdoses, is also being discussed as an essential tool in places frequented by at-risk vape users.
A global problem in the making
This Australian case illustrates a global phenomenon: the increasing contamination of vaping products with psychoactive substances, in a context of unclear legislation and technological circumvention. The electronic cigarette, initially designed as a smoking cessation tool, could thus become a Trojan horse for far more dangerous substances.
