Since October 2021, there have been three cases in the UK of young men dying from a new chemical known as N-pyrrolidino etonitazene. The drug belongs to the opioid drug class, a highly addictive substance that is used medically for pain in drugs such as morphine. However, N-pyrrolidino etonitazene, the new man-made ‘designer’ opioid, is 1,000 times stronger than its parent drug. Opioids carry a high risk of overdose; N-pyrrolidino etonitazene is extremely dangerous and poses a greater risk for those requiring treatment for opioid addiction.
This new chemical, N-pyrrolidino etonitazene, is believed to have been purchased on the dark web, an intentionally hidden branch of the internet that can only be accessed with a specific browser. The dark web’s creation can be traced back to the year 2000. Since its initial creation, it has been synonymous with illegal activity, although that is not its primary function. The existence or the use of the dark web is actually not illegal.
The British government has been investing in addiction treatment facilities around the country to manage drug addiction, but as the world becomes more connected, there are more ways than ever to obtain illicit substances. In the US, deaths from the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl are at an alarming rate. These recent deaths pose a worrying question: could N-pyrrolidino etonitazene be the same for the UK?
What is the Dark Web?
The infamous dark web was initially created as a thesis project by college student Ian Clarke. In the year 2000, he set out to create a decentralised online database where people could send and receive files while remaining anonymous. The project was known as Freenet, which paved the way for the notorious Tor browser. The Tor browser, released in 2008, made the dark web accessible to anyone with a computer. It serves as a search engine, similar to Google, for these hidden sites. However, the dark web is not specifically used for illegal purposes. It was initially used by the US Department of Defense to communicate securely and anonymously. However, as the dark web uses interchangeable encrypted servers known as “onion routing”, users are untraceable. This feature has made the dark web a global marketplace for criminal enterprises. On the dark web, it is possible to buy weapons, child pornography, or illegal drugs.
Anyone who has reasonable computer skills can use the dark web. As a result, drug manufacturing, selling, and purchasing have become easily accessible. As people buying the drugs may not have a way to test the product, the sellers could potentially sell a counterfeit or mixed product. For example, a person may believe they are purchasing cocaine when they are purchasing cocaine mixed with a powerful opioid, such as fentanyl. The dark web has encouraged the presence of illegal substances, as well as deaths from addiction, around the world.
N-pyrrolidino Etonitazene
In this new case within the UK, autopsies revealed that deaths were due to fatal toxicity from a new drug known as N-pyrrolidino etonitazene. Animal studies conducted on rats found this new drug to be 1,000 times stronger than morphine, a medically-used pain reliever. N-pyrrolidino etonitazene is a synthetic opioid, meaning it is man-made. The drug is chemically similar to fentanyl, another deadly synthetic opioid which has made global headlines in recent years.
The fear with synthetic opioids like fentanyl, and now N-pyrrolidino etonitazene, is their potency. As it is unlikely that purchasers and distributors will test the potency of these illegally-obtained opioids, a buyer may be unaware of their strength. This hugely increases the risk of accidental overdose or other health complications.
N-pyrrolidino etonitazene is sold as a small blue pill. On the pill are two markings; one side has the letter ‘M’ pressed into the pill, and the other has the number ‘30’. It is unclear whether sellers are selling this drug under the name N-pyrrolidino etonitazene, or as another opioid like fentanyl. In any case, when illegally obtaining illicit pills, there is no guarantee of their purity. Buying drugs from the dark web will always carry a risk of contamination and potential for fatal overdose.
The Opioid Epidemic
The opioid epidemic began as a result of prescription opioids being distributed legally in the United States in the 1990s. In the US today, deaths from opioids are higher than those from road accidents or suicides. With the supply chain being more accessible than ever with the emergence of the dark web, the UK should learn from these shocking statistics and not follow a similar path. According to the NHS, opioid prescriptions for pain have followed a similar trend, increasing to more than double from 1998 to 2018.
Opioids work as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, producing a sedative effect on the user. As opioids bind to the opioid receptors within the body, they alter brain chemistry, relieving a person of pain and producing a feeling of euphoria, pleasure, and wellbeing. The opioid effect is highly addictive and as a result, opioid prescriptions are difficult to obtain.
If a person has become addicted to a legitimate opioid pain prescription such as oxycodone, when the prescription runs out, a doctor may not prescribe more. Situations like this can lead to a person seeking to purchase illicit opioids on the street, or in some cases, on the dark web.
Similar to how globalisation produces a global trade market, the illegal drug trade has also evolved under this same premise. With sellers all over the world using the dark web to ship internationally, opioids like heroin are more accessible than before. The opium poppy plant grows naturally in countries where regulation is less stringent than in the UK. As a result, opioids like heroin are easily manufactured and sold on a global scale through the dark web.
Addiction and the Dark Web
In light of the preventable young deaths from N-pyrrolidino etonitazene in less than one year, something needs to be done about the availability of opioids through the dark web. As this particular substance would not be detected in a routine drug test, the actual prevalence of this new drug is difficult to quantify. Education, government investment in addiction treatment, and widely-available drug testing kits could prevent further mortality from N-pyrrolidino etonitazene within the UK.
