Research and analysis

Government response to the second ACMD addendum advice on nitazenes (accessible), 18 October 2023

Updated 5 April 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/acmd-advice-on-2-benzyl-benzimidazole-and-piperidine-benzimidazolone-opioids/government-response-to-the-acmd-addendum-advice-on-nitazenes-accessible

Rt Hon Chris Philp MP
Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire |
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

Professor Owen Bowden-Jones
Chair, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD)
Professor Simon Thomas
Chair, ACMD NPS Committee
C/o ACMD Secretariat
1st Floor, Peel Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

By email only

18 October 2023

Dear Owen and Simon,

I thank the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), especially the Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) Committee for its consideration of 2-benzyl benzimidazole (‘nitazene’) and other synthetic opioids. In February 2023 I accepted the recommendation to control these under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (‘the 1971 Act’) and the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (‘the 2001 Regulations’).

I would like to acknowledge the pace with which the ACMD has considered the detection of four new nitazenes in the UK and provided the revised recommendation for control on 6 October.

I formally accept the ACMD’s recommendation to control the below four additional substances as Class A drugs under the 1971 Act and place them in Schedule 1 under the 2001 Regulations. I shall also designate them under the Misuse of Drugs (Designation) (England, Wales and Scotland) Order 2015:

  • N-Pyrrolidino protonitazene
  • Ethyleneoxynitazene
  • N-Desethyl protonitazene
  • N-Desethyl etonitazene

I would be grateful if the ACMD could continue to remain vigilant of other emerging synthetic opioids and advise as appropriate.

Yours sincerely,

Rt Hon Chris Philp MP
Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire

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