Scary shots of drugged people whose movements resemble zombies have long appeared in the media. Most of them come from American cities that have long been struggling with a dangerous fentanyl that flooded their streets. According to estimates of overdose fentanyl and similar opioids, they died last year.
However, this problem seems to be gradually moving to Europe. The Czech National Drug Center only a few days ago on the tide of strong synthetic opiates to the Czech Republic. They have already claimed at least two human lives.
However, the white crystalline substance in which they occur most often, and experimenting with it may soon be responsible for others, even in Slovakia. As Adictologist Radek Jurnikl from Sanani for Czech claims, “It is also dangerous that the drug behaves differently than a person used to.”
An extremely tempting alternative
In talking about opiies, most people seem to recall heroin. Although fentanyls group simulate the effects of heroin, they are up to 50 and multiple stronger – and more attractive.
The difference between opiates and opioids lies in the way they are produced. While opiates are extracted from natural plant matter (for example, poppy juice), opioids are generally not derived from natural plant matter. Most opioids are produced in the laboratory. Directly on the market, these opioids then appear mainly in the form of white crystals.
However, as the Czech police informs, this is not their only possible form. And Slovak cops already have their experience with them. Fentanyl is also popular in Slovakia directly in Slovakia. However, it is not yet available in the form of powder or crystals, so its users must cope otherwise.
Fentanyl is most often present in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in patches used to relieve pain in severely ill patients. These are suitable for patients with chronic pain requiring opioid treatment. The drug is gradually released into the body through the skin for up to 72 hours, so it is a very effective drug – and at the same time a great attraction for drug addicts.
Patches steal people from garbage
According to Martina Sláviková, spokeswoman of the Communication and Prevention Department at the police, users most often obtain it from medical waste or buying from the survivors of the patient who used drugs containing fentanyl.
“However, the police also recorded cases where the perpetrators have identified people already in the waiting rooms or when buying in a pharmacy and then watched them to the residence where they removed used waste patches,” says Sláviková.
The patches are then glued to the climate, put them on or under their tongue, but they can also chew them, or try to extract the fabric to apply it to injection.
Is already killing a few micrograms
According to Lucia Šmoldasová, a spokeswoman for the Czech drug headquarters, as it is a very strong and hazardous substance, death can also cause a microscopic amount. This was only confirmed less than two weeks ago, when the rescuers had to intervene in the Prague barn. Only an 18-year-old young man who got another Opioid Nitazen over the Internet was overdose.
“It is terribly cheap and has a good ratio of“ price-performance ”. Classic opioids are very expensive, ”he told a young man who quickly regretted his experimentation.
The witness of his overdose described the Taj that he had turned his face after taking the fabric and Lapal’s breath. The reason for this is that in the event of an overdose of synthetic opiates, breath arrest occurs. “In the case of inhalation of fentanyl, there is a rapid onset of analgesic effect, including respiratory arrest,” Sláviková describes.
According to Jurnikl, overdose is fast. “In addition, if one is overdose himself, there is almost 100 % chance of dying. If he has but someone has someone, they care very much about their reaction. The chances of exponentially growing with the number of people around and falling with a lot of panic,” he says.
The young man was saved by the medical staff who arrived in protective suits. In the case of synthetic drugs, the touch itself is already critical. In contact with the skin, it is therefore necessary to wash the affected area under running cold water with solid soap. As Sláviková explains: “Liquid soap helps to absorb the substance through the skin.”
Order them via the Internet
The police have not yet caught a significant amount of these opiates in the Czech Republic. However, according to Šmoldas, users can order them in small shipments on the so -called Darkan (underground Internet) or on social networks. Drugs will then come home by post as a regular shipment – just as in the case of a Czech young man.
In this way, the aforementioned fentanyl can also reach the Czech Republic, but mostly in the neighboring country is still obtained from patches used to relieve pain in severely ill patients. This is also true in Slovakia.
For the strong effects of never approved them
High -risk nitazenia may also appear in drugs, for example in pain medicines. These are sold abroad as “synthetic heroin”. In the past, they have been developed as opioid analgesics, ie painkillers. However, their extreme strength and risk of addiction and overdose have caused them to have never been approved for medical use. And it was the Czech young man overdose, and two other people with him. However, they could not be saved by the healthcare professionals.
The effects of nitazen are many times stronger than fentanyl and continue to be the subject of research. “In the case of these substances, there is actually a high risk of not only health damage, but also death due to overdose,” says Sláviková.
The incidence of nitazenic has not yet been confirmed in Slovakia. In general, however, synthetic opioids and substances for their production flow mainly from China and India.
“The illegal drug markets began to appear more after the regulation of fentanyl, the impact could also have a reduction in the production of opium after the ban on its cultivation in Afghanistan.
