Listen to the audio version of the article
The Fentanyl alarm is growing in Italy, the synthetic opioid which in the United States is claiming victims – at least 180 a day – especially among young people. The Government will bring to the Council of Ministers on Monday 11 March a legislative decree with a crackdown on the control of the trade of the so-called “precursors” of drugs: the chemical substances with which dangerous synthetic drugs can be produced in illegal laboratories, starting with Fentanyl used in medicine as an analgesic, which manages to have a potency of at least 80 times greater than that of morphine.
Fines, imprisonment and stoppage of activity for violations
Together with the decree which effectively increases the sanctions for those who violate the rules on the import and export of these substances with which synthetic drugs are produced, the Government will always bring to the council of ministers an information on the national prevention plan against improper use of Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. The decree also to bring itself into line with Europe adapts the sanctions in case of violations of the trade of the so-called “precursors” i.e. “substances frequently used in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances”, as defined by the United Nations Convention of 1988 against illicit drug trafficking. Registration violations linked to the placing on the market of these substances, their import and export without respecting the notification obligations are punished with heavy fines and imprisonment. Suspension of the activity of operators authorized to deal with these substances is also foreseen in the event of a violation
What are synthetic drug precursors used for?
The precursors in Italy are divided into four categories, with the last category – the fourth – just added by the decree expected on Monday in the council of ministers: they range from substances that allow in particular the manufacture of synthetic drugs such as amphetamines, ecstasy, LSD, phencyclidine, methaqualone, etc. Other precursors (acetic anhydride, potassium permanganate, red phosphorus, etc.) are used by traffickers as reagents, with the function of transforming a natural substance into a drug of abuse, in particular for obtaining heroin and cocaine, or as solvents (acetone, ether, hydrochloric acid, etc.) for the extraction and purification of drugs of natural origin or for the preparation of synthetic drugs. In particular, with the fourth category, the level of attention also increases on ephedrine contained in various medicines (including against colds) and in veterinary drugs. The boom in synthetic drugs and therefore in the use of “precursors” to produce them is also an effect of the crackdown decided by Afghanistan which recently banned the cultivation of opium.
The Fentanyl alert in Italy and the first initiatives
The latest synthetic opiate that is devastating the USA is fentanyl and now Italy is also paying attention to it, as demonstrated by the arrival of the national plan to combat its improper use. After all, the Ministry of Health decided a few weeks ago – in a note from the Ministry’s General Directorate of Prevention led by Francesco Vaia – to raise the alert level on this synthetic drug to 3, the maximum. For now, circulation in the non-healthcare sector in Italy is considered limited, but it has been decided to initiate greater controls, for example against the risk of theft in hospital pharmacies. In particular, the Ministry of Health together with the Istituto Superiore della Sanità have decided to also pay attention to the improper use of pharmaceutical prescriptions.
The drama in the USA and the international situation
For now, however, the dramatic situation experienced in the United States where fentanyl and other opioids are a real national emergency is still far away. According to one of the latest research on the topic conducted by the University of California and published in the journal «Addiction», the proportion of overdose deaths in the US involving both Fentanyl and stimulants increased more than 50 times between 2010 and 2021. Such an alarm, that of the consumption of synthetic opioids, which led the United States in July last year to create an international coalition of 90 countries to fight synthetic drugs. On January 31, China also made a commitment to stop the illegal trade of the substance. And the ban on the consumption of Fentanyl has even entered the Constitution of Mexico.