// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
The deadly new drugs making Scotland's fight against addiction even harder
Nitazenes are a class of synthetic opioids often sold as heroin
Efforts to bring down Scotland's sky-high rate of drug deaths are being frustrated by the arrival of hundreds of powerful new synthetic substances that experts warn are making the deadly drugs crisis even more dangerous.
In the past three years, there has been an explosion in the supply of new synthetic cannabinoids and opioids, transforming the illicit drugs trade and increasing the risk of fatal overdoses.
Annual figures to be released on Wednesday are expected to show a rise in the number of drug-related deaths in Scotland, which already has an unenviable record as the drugs death capital of Europe.
"The illicit drug supply in Scotland is getting more and more dangerous," said Dr Lorna Nisbet of Dundee University's Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science.
Forensic scientist Lorna Nisbet says the illicit drug supply in Scotland is getting more dangerous
Unlike heroin or cocaine, which are derived from cultivated plants, many of the new substances are manufactured in clandestine laboratories.
They include synthetic opioids such as nitazenes and orphines, some of which are hundreds of times more potent than heroin.
Police say organised crime groups are increasingly mixing the substances with existing drugs to maximise their profits.
"I think it's shameful behaviour that we're seeing from these organised crime groups," Supt Niven Bull, of Police Scotland, said.