This week's NDEWS Hotspot Alerts report includes 34 counties with higher-than-expected drug-related 911 dispatch counts over the previous 7-day period. Read more here. Click here to read more about NDEWS Hotspot Alerts.

People who have used drugs are invited to join Virtual HealthStreet to participate in periodic anonymous, special topic surveys specifically to get a better understanding of emerging drug trends across the US. Join here.

Earlier this week, NPS Discovery published a Sentinel Snapshot presenting information on a batch of counterfeit tablets containing multiple complex drug mixtures that were seized from the US Southwest border. Of the 40 counterfeit tablets seized, all 40 contained fentanyl and the banned analgesic metamizole. The fentanyl analog para-fluorofentanyl was present in 5 of the exhibits. Other substances present in the tablets included methamphetamine, xylazine, and pentobarbital. Read the report here.

NPS Discovery and the SOFT NPS Committee published updated scope recommendations for NPS testing in the US for Q1 of 2024. This report provides guidance in developing an appropriate analytical scope of testing for NPS in the US and is based on current trends and intelligence. Read the report here.

A study recently published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences used Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Laboratory Information Management System to examine overdose cases from 2015 to 2022 in which xylazine was reported. In total, there were 170 cases during the study period, with the majority consisting of accidental polydrug overdoses involving White males between the ages of 25 and 44 years old. Of the 170 cases, 37% listed xylazine as the cause of death. Read the study here.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) published a report earlier this week on global nitazene trends. Since 2019, the number of nitazenes reported to the UNODC Early Warning Advisory has increased significantly from one substance to 13 different nitazenes in 2023. Up to February 2024, nitazenes had been reported by countries from Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. Read the report here.

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