Inquest into the death of Ms UL
Demographics
42y, female
Date of death
2022-07-16
Finding date
2026-10-15
Cause of death
Multiple drug toxicity, with aspiration of vomit also contributing
AI-generated summary
Ms UL, a 42-year-old woman, died on 16 July 2022 from multiple drug toxicity at her residence in Ainslie, ACT. Post-mortem toxicological analysis revealed lethal concentrations of methadone, morphine, and codeine, along with protonitazene, a highly potent synthetic opioid approximately 100 times stronger than heroin. This was the first ACT coronial case involving protonitazene. Ms UL had a long history of heroin use, mental health issues (depression and anxiety), and chronic pain from a spinal injury. She had experienced repeated domestic violence. The coroner found that the combination of multiple drugs caused respiratory depression; aspiration of regurgitated gastric contents also contributed. The coroner identified public safety concerns regarding novel psychoactive substances (NPS) being mixed into street heroin without users' knowledge, highlighted gaps in NPS detection and notification systems, and noted opportunities for improved harm reduction through existing services like CanTEST drug checking.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- Lethal concentrations of methadone, morphine, and codeine
- Protonitazene (novel synthetic opioid)
- Concomitant CNS depressants (benzodiazepines, pregabalin, mirtazapine)
- Respiratory depression from opioid combination
- Aspiration of gastric contents
- Unknown contamination of illicit drugs with NPS
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