Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) Alert: Nitazenes

Version: 1.5 Show version history
Published: 13 March 2025 (Latest release)
Type: Guidance
Author: Public Health Scotland

Drugs

On 13 March 2025, the Scottish Drugs Forum created new resources in response to an increase in rapid-onset overdoses. Testing has identified a nitazene-type opioid in some heroin samples associated with these overdose clusters.

Visit the Scottish Drugs Forum for more information.

View a printable version of the whole publication

Last updated: 20 March 2025

+ Show version history

13 March 2025 - Version 1.5: Addition of signposting to the Scottish Drugs Forum resource on rapid-onset overdoses.
16 January 2025 - Version 1.4: The legal status section of this alert was updated in January 2025 to reflect amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971).
08 July 2024 - Version 1.3: Inclusion of information on increasing detections in heroin and benzodiazepines.
20 November 2023 - Version 1.2: Inclusion of post-mortem toxicology data.
29 March 2023 - Version 1.1: Inclusion of information on new detections.
24 January 2023 - Version 1.0: First published

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