LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said it would ban 20 additional dangerous drugs on Monday, adding fifteen new synthetic opioids and other substances to its Class A drugs list as part of efforts to protect people from overdoses and drug related deaths.
British crime and policing minister Chris Philp said in a statement that the substances had the potential to devastate lives, ruin families and damage communities.
The drugs were described by the government as “incredibly dangerous” because they had similar effects to heroin and fentanyl, resulting in an increased risk of accidental overdose.
Five other drugs were also banned including three stimulants, a synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist (SCRA) and a benzodiazepine.
The 15 banned synthetic opioids are:
– Metonitazene
– Protonitazene
– Isotonitazene
– Butonitazene
– Flunitazene
– Metodesnitazene (metazene)
– Etodesnitazene (etazene)
– N-Pyrrolidino-etonitazene (Etonitazepyne)
– N-Piperidinyl-etonitazene (Etonitazepipne)
– N-Pyrrolidino Protonitazene
– Ethyleneoxynitazene
– N-Desethyl protonitazene
– N-Desethylisotonitazene
– N-Desethyl-etonitazene
– Brorphine
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by William James)
