Toxic warning: deadly zombie-like drug detected again in New Zealand

A deadly drug known to induce zombie-like behavior and involved in more than 70 kiwi deaths has been found again in the community, putting authorities on high alert.

Scientists detected the chemical compound, called AMB-Fubinaca, in three seized synthetic drug samples originating from Northland, Bay of Plenty and Christchurch.

Researchers report that the effects of the chemical are 75 times stronger than THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis.

It means that users have often rapidly overdosed on very small doses of the drug.

Of 58 cases of AMB-Fubinaca poisoning identified in Auckland, 93 percent of the victims died where they used the substance, said drug information group High Alert.

However, despite being prevalent in the community last year, AMB-Fubinaca appeared to temporarily disappear from the New Zealand black market this year with the last prior detection made in November 2019.

That was what made the three recent detections extremely alarming, High Alert said.

“The unusually wide geographic range of these most recent detections raises concern that there could be a broader resurgence of AMB-Fubinaca in the community,” he said.

“This is particularly concerning as AMB-Fubinaca has been one of the deadliest illicit substances in New Zealand in recent years.”

In September last year, Chief Coroner Deborah Marshall’s coronary investigation revealed that at least 75 people across the country had died after taking synthetic drugs between June 2017 and 2019.

AMB-Fubinaca was involved in 80 percent of those deaths.

He also became infamous for inducing zombie-like behavior and for fueling an outbreak in New York in 2016 that gained worldwide notoriety.

High Alert said that the immediate effects of AMB-Fubinaca could include:

• Fast or irregular heartbeat

• Hypertension

• Nausea or vomiting

• Tremors

• Sedation, drowsiness

• Slower reaction times

• Confusion, loss of contact with reality

• Paranoia, anxiety and panic attacks

• Loss of consciousness

Other serious adverse effects are reported to include aggression, shortness of breath, harmful thoughts, suicidal feelings, hallucinations, psychotic episodes, seizures, and death.

Detective Inspector Blair Macdonald, manager of the National Drug Intelligence Office, said police had been making fewer and fewer seizures of the drug since 2017/2018.

This was because authorities were targeting the import and sale of it, an increased awareness of its dangers and laws banning it both in New Zealand and abroad, he said.

New laws in August last year designated AMB-Fubinaca and 5F-ADB as Class ‘A’ controlled drugs.

“This elevated these two substances to the same category as methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, with a maximum sentence of life in prison for the sale, supply and manufacture of these drugs,” Macdonald said.

The Chinese government’s measures to restrict the manufacture of the drugs also had an impact on reducing their prevalence.

However, there were still 37 hospitalizations related to “synthetic cannabinoids” in 2019, Macdonald said.

“The threat of another synthetic cannabinoid outbreak is very real and in part led to the development of New Zealand’s first drug early warning system, High Alert,” he said.

“Highalert.org.nz provides the public with alerts and notifications when hazardous substances are identified.”

Associate Professor Chris Wilkins, a drug researcher at Massey University, also said that AMB-Fubinaca was extremely dangerous.

“Your risk in synthetic cannabinoid products is exacerbated by unregulated black market production and manufacturers with limited or no experience in chemistry,” he said.

He said more research was needed to understand why some kiwis used synthetic cannabinoids.

“It is also worth noting that the majority of people who use synthetic cannabis have reported preferring to use natural cannabis and consequently greater legal access to cannabis could be considered,” Wilkins said.

“Countries with more liberal cannabis laws are less likely to report synthetic cannabinoid use and related deaths.”

Doug Sellman, Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine at the University of Otago, also said that one of the downsides to banning natural cannabis was the emergence of very potent and dangerous synthetic alternatives.

These were often deliberately made into very potent varieties, which meant that smaller quantities could be hidden and illegally transported more easily.

“This phenomenon is exactly what happened in the United States during the prohibition of alcohol (1920-1933) when very high potency alcohol illegally produced at the time to facilitate transportation and sale was associated with a worrying number of deaths.” Sellman said.

“This was a factor in the US government’s decision to regulate alcohol rather than continue prohibition.”

High Alert said there were many ways that making illegal synthetic drugs could go wrong.

“Application of synthetic cannabinoid powder can lead to varying concentrations, even within the same batch, worsening the already potent effects of AMB-Fubinaca and further increasing the likelihood of overdose and possibly death,” he said.

Synthetic cannabinoids were also not tested the way drugs were tested and were not shown to be safe.

“The effects experienced can also be compounded by the use of other drugs or alcohol, a person’s mental health, or the presence of underlying medical conditions.”