Glenn Dobson on The AM Show

Dec 6, 2022 | TDDA in the news

COO Glenn Dobson appeared on Newshub’s The AM Show to discuss the discovery of illegitimate fentanyl after hospitalisations in the Wairarapa.

Fentanyl is a highly addictive, dangerous, and potentially deadly substance. It is responsible for more than 60,000 overdose deaths a year in the United States, is fifty times more potent than heroin and one-hundred times more potent than morphine.

Dobson warns that fentanyl’s white crystalline, powdery appearance makes it hard to distinguish. It is often mixed in with other drugs like cocaine or methamphetamine and is then sold as the drug it is mixed with.

TDDA can identify types and quantities of drugs by on site and lab-testing urine samples. Dobson suggests that the best way to prevent harm is by stopping supply at the borders. Increasing testing can help track sources and identify supply patterns within New Zealand. Trans-national criminal organisations see New Zealand as a good market. Increasing testing will deescalate the potential damage.