Those who use drugs tend to stick to what they know. Typically, gay and straight drug scenes are different, using different drugs for different situations or required outcomes. Both non-LGBT and LGBT+ people use drugs in social settings, such as pubs, clubs, and festivals, usually for a few hours.

But, for gay men especially, there are spaces and scenes where the drugs used are taken to promote and enhance sex typically stimulants like crystal meth (Tina), mephedrone, and GHB/GBL. Historically this has not included the opioid heroin. Heroin is rarely used to enhance sex in the way stimulants are. Its primary physiological effect is to suppress libido and sexual function. In the London chemsex scene, it is almost never a party drug and is instead typically used as ‘landing gear’ to come down from stimulants.

Newer drugs on the block

Heroin is becoming increasingly difficult to purchase in the UK, and this shortage is being replaced by far more more powerful synthetic versions, with growing evidence that synthetic opioids1 such as nitazenes2 and fentanyl3, are increasingly more available in the UKs recreational drug supply. Hundreds of deaths have been linked to these substances since 2023.4

Drug dealers

Drug dealers provide a wide range of drugs to a wide range of clients. Whatever they request, be it ‘T’, ‘G’, ‘M’, ‘K’, ‘E’, coke, speed, acid, or cannabis, they all need to be weighed, packaged and distributed, during which cross contamination can occur through the use of shared scales, bags, or surfaces on which they are prepared, so there are many situations in which cross contamination with other drugs can occur.

This is particularly problematic if drugs are contaminated with one of these synthetic opioids. The window of harm is incredibly small. A tiny, microscopic speck – invisible to the naked eye – can be enough to stop a person’s breathing within minutes. Even ‘dust’ from a previous batch can be lethal.

So, whilst you may not be asking for them, tiny traces of these potent synthetic opioids may end up in your ‘T’, ‘G’ or ‘M’, meaning you can take what you think is a familiar drug and still overdose.

Having a conversation

It’s perfectly understandable to assume a level of familiarity or ‘trust’ with your dealer. Perhaps you believe any problems will happen elsewhere in the supply chain, not within your own network, so why risk having an awkward conversation about contamination risks? They want repeat business so it’s unlikely they would set out to kill you intentionally! 

It may feel awkward, but it’s a practical step. A simple, direct conversation with your dealer, or whoever is supplying your chems, about how they handle, weigh, package and store drugs, can reduce the risk of cross contamination, raise awareness and keep the issue relevant. You’re not being difficult: you’re protecting yourself and the people you use with.

Practical tips

Here’s a practical list how cross-contamination actually happens (so it can be prevented):

  • Using the same scoop/spoon for different powders without cleaning.
  • Taring/weighing multiple drugs on the same scale platform.
  • Pouring or tapping powders from one bag into another so residue falls into the next packet.
  • Shaking or handling multiple bags in the same hands/gloves.
  • Re-using unwashed funnels, paper, or makeshift scoops (cards, folded paper).
  • Cutting or dividing blocks/tablets with the same blade/knife without wiping.
  • Storing different drugs in the same container or on the same surface.
  • Transferring via fingers that touch one product then another.
  • Dust/aerosol spread when scraping, chopping or powdering near other stock.
  • Using communal trays, chopping boards or workbenches with residue.
  • Re-using packaging (old bags/foil) that still holds traces.
  • Wet contamination from liquids/solvents used nearby that pick up solids.

Self-Test Strips

Self-test for fentanyl and nitazenes strips are available and are widely used harm reduction tools, but they have major limitations. A negative result on a strip is not a guarantee of safety. It only means the strip didn’t find the specific chemicals it was printed to find. Chemists are constantly creating new versions of nitazenes and test strips may not recognise the new varieties, resulting in a false negative.

1 Man-made substances in laboratories.
2 Highly potent synthetic opioids, with some variants significantly more potent than heroin.
3 A powerful synthetic opioid, 50-100 times more potent than morphine.
4 Of the 5,565 registered deaths in England and Wales in 2024 (up 2.1% from 2023) nearly half (47%) involved an opioid. Deaths involving nitazenes quadrupled in a year, from 52 in 2023 to 195 in 2024. However, this data does not include “cross-contamination” deaths. Half of all reported deaths involve more than one substance (e.g., cocaine mixed with alcohol or heroin mixed with benzodiazepines) so opioid-related deaths may be much higher than official records indicate.
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