Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of change in the level of illegal use of nitazenes; and what steps she is taking to help prevent the distribution of such drugs.

A cross-Government taskforce is co-ordinating the response to the risk synthetic opioids, including nitazenes, pose to the UK. The Taskforce includes officials from the Home Office, Department for Health and Social Care, National Crime Agency (NCA), National Police Chiefs’ Council and Border Force.

Additionally, the NCA, working closely with policing, Border Force and international partners is ensuring that all lines of enquiry are prioritised and vigorously pursued to stem any supply of nitazenes to and within the UK. The NCA and Home Office international networks are in key source and transit countries to work with other governments to identify and disrupt cartels who seek to exploit the UK. On top of this, the UK are also active in international fora such as the US led Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, the United Nations and the G7.

The UK’s early warning and surveillance system has been enhanced and captures multiple data sets of data including ambulance data, post-mortem toxicology, drug seizures and wastewater analysis among other sources. Findings will be shared with law enforcement and public health agencies, at national and local level, meaning that rapid action can be taken in communities where harmful substances such as nitazenes are detected.

On 2 September, in line with recent advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, we laid an Affirmative Order to introduce a generic definition for nitazenes as well as to control 22 substances (including Xylazine). Subject to parliamentary processes, these amendments should come into force in early 2025.