Professor Colin O’Gara

18th December 2025

Our conversation now turns to a growing public health and law enforcement concern here in Ireland — the rise of synthetic opioids on our streets and what authorities believe is a significantly increasing threat.  

A new report from Forensic Science Ireland highlights the emergence of multiple new synthetic opioid substances, some far more potent than heroin, and a dramatic increase in large seizures of these drugs.  

At a time when policymakers globally are also reframing how they tackle synthetic opioids — including a recent U.S. executive order that controversially declared fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction” — we’re joined by Professor Colin O’GaraHead of Addiction Services at St. John of God University Hospital, Stillorgan, Dublin and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at University College Dublin (UCD). 



Current track

Title

Artist