How a drug 1000 times stronger than morphine was found in Canberra

Dangerous new opioid detected in Canberra

The synthetic opioid (Nitazene) detected in Canberra. Photo: Jamie Kidston/ANU. A new potent opioid 1000 times stronger than morphine and 90 times stronger than fentanyl has been detected for the first time in Canberra. Acquired from the dark web and brought to the CanTEST facility in September, the ANU’s Prof Malcolm McLeod says that within 24 hours, they’d worked out what it was and had relayed that information back to ACT Health and the commu…

How a drug 1000 times stronger than morphine was found in Canberra

A drug 1000 times stronger than morphine found in Canberra. Learn about the risks and the importance of drug testing.

Potent new opioid identified by ANU experts

23.05.2025 - A potent opioid detected in Canberra for the first time in September 2024 carries a high risk of overdose, warn chemists from The Australian National University (ANU) and drug checking service CanTEST.