Collapse in heroin production may cause new wave of deadly opioids

Family and friends of people who died from opiods overdoses in Broome County New York State at the annual memorial last August with 277 names represented on replica headstones. There are fears that the opioids epidemic could sweep through Europe too. Picture: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis/Getty

EU drug and police agencies are warning that the almost complete collapse of opium production in Afghanistan last year could mean a shift in the heroin market towards the supply into Europe of highly dangerous synthetic opioids.

Experts said that, as there is typically a one-year time lag between opium crops and heroin on the street, it may not be until 2025 that the impact will be felt — but stress the need for preparedness.