Pensioners are selling old fentanyl patches to drug users on the black market to help pay off their bills, an inquest has heard.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a NSW Coroner’s Court examined six opiate related deaths in 2016, and heard users are now shunning drugs like heroin for the “cleaner” option of fentanyl – believing it’s a safer option, as it’s prescribed to patients following a trauma.

Speaking in the court, an opiates user explained the moment he discovered his 48-year-old friend had taken a fatal overdose of drugs. He claimed some of the patches being sold on the black market were actually coming from pensioners, who were selling them off to pay their bills.

“It seems to be sourced from old pensioners who sell it on to pay their bills,” he reportedly told the court.

The man is said to have referenced Cavendish Street in Newtown as part of the hearing. He explained it was known as “Morphine Alley” in the 1990s, where opiate users would go to buy morphine tablets from legitimate patients.

Fentanyl is a powerful opioid used to treat pain, that is given to millions of people around the world every year. In Australia, the drug in sold under the names Durogesic (transdermal patches), Actiq (lozenges/lollipops), Sublimaze (IV injection), as well as some generic names, and is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin.

It is often prescribed to people after major trauma, nerve damage or cancer, but has become an unspoken problem for many.

Read more: A warning for all… Prince died after taking this common drug

Doctors say it can be extremely dangerous when mixed with other medications, such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, and can lead to serious health issues and even death.

Speaking about the powerful drug in court, the man claimed a 100mg patch could be sold for $100, which could then be split into quarters for $25 each. According to the Herald, he said some people also mix it with crystal methamphetamine to ease off a high.

“They have ice, they’re having a great time, they want to come down and taken fentanyl,” he reportedly said. He claimed many users are worried about what heroin is now being cut with on the black market, so are turning to fentanyl instead.

NSW paramedic Chris Townsend backed this up to Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame, claiming it’s seen as a safer drug, as it’s prescribed to needy patients. He added: “They know what they’re getting.”

Have you had fentanyl patches for pain in the past?