Public Health Scotland flags rising presence of nitazenes, as drug deaths spike and testing struggles to keep up.
Scotland’s fight against drug-related deaths has taken a grim turn. A sharp rise in suspected fatalities between March and May this year is being linked to the growing presence of potent synthetic opioids — specifically, a class of drugs known as nitazenes.
The latest figures released by Public Health Scotland (PHS) show 312 suspected drug deaths in just three months. That’s a 15% jump from the previous quarter. Behind that rise, experts say, could be substances most people have never even heard of.
What Are Nitazenes — and Why Are They So Dangerous?
Let’s cut to the chase. Nitazenes are synthetic opioids. They’re lab-made and incredibly strong. In some cases, several times stronger than fentanyl. Yes, that fentanyl.
Initially developed in the 1950s, these compounds were never meant for mass use — they weren’t even licensed for medical treatment. But now, they’re showing up in street drugs across Scotland, often without the user knowing.
That’s the real kicker. People think they’re buying heroin or benzodiazepines, but they could be taking something far deadlier.
And here’s the scary part: the recent PHS report said nitazenes were found in 6% of all suspected drug deaths. One expert called that figure an “underestimate” due to problems in identifying these substances in post-mortem tests.
Deaths Are Rising — And Testing Isn’t Keeping Up
The spike in suspected fatalities is raising alarm bells across the public health sector.
Between March and May this year, 312 suspected drug deaths were recorded in Scotland. That’s not just a number — it’s a sharp climb from the 271 cases reported in the previous three months.
Officials say synthetic opioids could be a key reason.
The Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response report — Scotland’s early warning system for emerging drug threats — highlighted that nitazenes have increasingly been mixed into other substances without users’ knowledge.
And testing? Well, it’s struggling. Labs can’t always detect these drugs unless they know exactly what to look for. That means deaths involving nitazenes might be flying under the radar.
A Silent Killer in the Supply Chain
The way nitazenes are slipping into Scotland’s street drug market is both subtle and lethal.
-
Found in drugs sold as heroin
-
Mixed with fake benzodiazepines and oxycodone
-
Detected in powder, pill and liquid form
What makes it worse is their potency. A dose as small as a few milligrams can be enough to cause respiratory arrest.
One harm reduction worker in Glasgow said, “People don’t even know they’re taking this stuff. It’s a game of Russian roulette.”
The Numbers Behind the Worry
Here’s what the recent data shows:
| Timeframe | Suspected Drug Deaths | Change From Previous Quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Dec–Feb 2025 | 271 | – |
| Mar–May 2025 | 312 | +15% |
That’s an extra 41 suspected deaths in a single quarter.
PHS flagged a growing number of heroin overdoses during this same period — many of them believed to involve nitazenes. That pattern is raising fears among addiction services and local authorities already stretched thin.
“We Need to Move Fast”: Experts Push for Urgent Response
There’s no time to wait, health professionals say. Scotland already has one of the highest drug death rates in Europe. The last thing it needs is a stealthy new killer slipping in through the back door.
One public health adviser said, bluntly: “This isn’t a slow-burning crisis anymore. It’s accelerating.”
Experts are calling for:
-
Expanded drug-checking services
-
Better lab resources for identifying new synthetics
-
More widespread distribution of naloxone (the overdose reversal drug)
-
Public information campaigns about what’s in the current street supply
And while some naloxone kits can reverse nitazene overdoses, the required doses may be higher — which raises another concern: will emergency responders have enough?
Scotland’s Drug Crisis Was Already Bad — Now It’s Worse
Let’s not sugar-coat it. Scotland’s drug crisis didn’t start with nitazenes. But these synthetic opioids are turning a public health disaster into something even more deadly.
The drugs are unpredictable, incredibly potent, and often invisible to both users and frontline workers. Add to that patchy access to services and overloaded health systems, and you’ve got a dangerous mix.
In the end, experts say it’s not just about catching up — it’s about staying ahead.
