After Raymond Flaherty was discovered lifeless in the lounge of his Melbourne flat by a neighbour, police found a discarded plastic bottle labelled “Xanax” subsequent to his physique.
Before his loss of life in February final 12 months, a buddy of the 57-year-old advised police Flaherty, who had battled well being points and drug habit for years, was “smashing” and “chugging bottles of Xanax” which he’s understood to have purchased on-line.
Xanax is a model title for alprazolam, a extremely potent benzodiazepine generally used for nervousness and insomnia.
Raymond Flaherty as a younger man pictured together with his mom, Kaye Flaherty, and sister Carley.
But Victorian coroner Ingrid Giles, who examined the proud Wurundjeri man’s loss of life, strongly suspected the “Xanax” tablets seized from his Fitzroy North unit weren’t what they appeared. Instead, they have been a part of a pattern of artificial benzodiazepines, or “road benzos”, which have been linked to a gentle surge of unintended drug overdoses.
Giles directed the tablets be forwarded to the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine for testing.
The institute discovered the Melbourne father of 1 had unknowingly consumed counterfeit Xanax tablets containing bromazolam, a strong and doubtlessly deadly sedative which has by no means been authorised for medical use wherever on the earth.
No hint of alprazolam was detected within the tablets Flaherty had taken.
Flaherty was discovered lifeless in the lounge of his flat by a neighbour.
In her findings, Giles demanded the state authorities take instant motion to deal with the rising risk attributable to an increase in counterfeit prescription tablets flooding the illicit drug market.
“I think about that such circumstances increase distinctive and urgent public well being dangers which demand pressing consideration by the secretary of the Victorian Department of Health,” she mentioned.
Flaherty’s case comes as overdoses from faux or artificial benzodiazepines soar. The first Victorian overdose loss of life confirmed to contain such medicine occurred in 2015. There have been 10 deaths linked to artificial benzodiazepines in 2019. The determine was 40 in 2022, 33 in 2023, and 35 final 12 months. Data for this 12 months continues to be being collated by the Coroner’s Court.
Concerns about bromazolam are additionally rising across the nation, following detection of the banned psychoactive substance in faux Xanax and Valium tablets, in addition to traces of it in cocaine, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths.
One particular person died and two folks have been hospitalised in NSW in January this 12 months after taking cocaine discovered to include bromazolam. In Canberra this 12 months, bromazolam was additionally detected in a batch of faux benzodiazepine tablets, selling a warning from well being authorities.
To date, 16 completely different artificial benzodiazepines have been recognized as contributors to overdose deaths in Victoria.
Only days in the past, the Victorian Pill Testing Service despatched out an alert that heroin was detected in faux Xanax tablets.
Raymond Flaherty’s household have backed the suggestions from Giles, who known as on the secretary of the Victorian Department of Health to fee the chief habit drugs adviser to right away examine the dangers posed by the increasing availability of illicit and pretend benzodiazepines.
Flaherty’s sister Carley Flaherty mentioned her older brother was deeply liked, happy with his Indigenous heritage, type and humorous, and had struggled to beat drug habit most of his life.
He adored his mom, Kaye Flaherty, and his canine, Munchie, a white and brown speckled papillon, who was all the time by his facet.
“He was like a father determine to my youngest son and I seemed as much as him my complete life,” his sister mentioned. “We are simply so devastated.”
Flaherty (from left) together with his mom, Kaye; his nephew Tye; sister Carley; and nephew Jack.
She mentioned that within the months earlier than his loss of life, Raymond had distanced himself from his household and buddies as he fell into the grips of one other drug relapse.
Carley mentioned the household had been distressed to be taught after his loss of life that he had been banned from his common chemist due to erratic behaviour. This meant he had been unable to purchase his prescribed batch of diazepam, generally identified by the model title Valium.
“I feel that will have been a part of the explanation as to why he went on-line to purchase these tablets,” she mentioned.
A plan was organized for a brand new pharmacy to dispense diazepam to him, however makes an attempt to succeed in him by his longtime physician failed.
His sister mentioned that months after he died, the buddy who discovered him lifeless in his Fitzroy North flat and had tried to revive him additionally died of an overdose after taking tablets he had purchased on-line.
“If me talking out can assist give folks a greater understanding of how horrible these medicine actually are, and it may assist save one particular person, then that can give me some consolation after dropping Raymond,” she mentioned.
Raymond Flaherty’s loss of life was discovered to have been attributable to a mix of a number of medicine together with heroin, antidepressants and the deadly results of bromazolam discovered within the faux Xanax tablets.
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Pennington Institute chief govt John Ryan mentioned illicit benzodiazepines have been rising in prominence in Australia, and around the globe, and have been more and more getting used recreationally or as antianxiety and sleep remedy.
“It’s not solely touching individuals who have been conventional customers of illicit medicine, however it’s really touching folks from all walks of life,” Ryan mentioned, including there had been a worrying shift in folks consuming faux tablets as regulation tightened round prescription remedy.
He mentioned that as a result of the tablets have been usually labelled as diazepam or Xanax there could possibly be a false sense of safety, however in actuality folks had no thought of the hazard of what they have been consuming.
“It’s a Wild West market, and we’re very a lot flying blind as it’s a comparatively new however important downside,” he mentioned.
“The drug market retains altering a lot faster than the coverage response. We’ve seen this huge enhance within the availability of illicit benzos, and but we haven’t seen an equal kind of response from the service system.”
Research from the Pennington Institute discovered benzodiazepines are quick turning into one of many main contributors to overdoses nationally and are concerned in additional unintended deaths than alcohol, heroin or cocaine.
In her discovering earlier this month, Giles, the coroner, known as on the federal government to contemplate growing a well being technique to succeed in folks utilizing counterfeit benzodiazepines to teach them on the deadly dangers.
She additionally urged the federal government to seek the advice of specialist providers, together with Reconnexion, Australia’s solely specialist benzodiazepine dependency therapy program, which had its funding lower final 12 months.
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Earlier this 12 months, it was revealed the variety of Victorians dying of a drug overdose had soared to a 10-year excessive, in what assist providers described on the time as a watershed second for the state’s drug coverage.
The information confirmed 584 Victorians died from an overdose final 12 months, a rise of 37 deaths in contrast with 2023.
A Victorian well being division spokesman mentioned the federal government was addressing drug hurt by rolling out a $95 million statewide motion plan to develop entry to therapy.
“Overdose deaths are a horrible tragedy and we ship our deepest condolences to Raymond Flaherty’s kin and group following his passing,” the spokesman mentioned.
“We know that extra must be finished to save lots of lives and provides extra folks the assist they want, and we’ll rigorously think about the coroner’s discovering and proposals.”
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