Overdose victims require multiple doses of Naloxone due to strength of nitazene opioids.
A new killer has emerged in the illegal drug market, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. Synthetic opioids called nitazenes—up to 20 times more potent than fentanyl—have infiltrated street drugs from heroin to benzodiazepines, catching unsuspecting users in a web of addiction and overdose (OD) death.
These opioids have evaded authorities and fueled a silent epidemic, presenting novel dangers law enforcement is only beginning to grasp.
No Medical Use, High Addiction Risk
Nitazenes belong to a class of synthetic opioids called isotonitazenes, or ISOs. These compounds have gained attention due to their powerful painkilling properties. First developed in the 1950s, nitazenes were never approved for medical use and long remained obscure, known only in academic circles.
A defining trait of nitazenes is their extremely high potency—hundreds to thousands of times more potent than morphine and other older opioids and 10 to 20 times more powerful than fentanyl, which is already fueling the nation’s current drug crisis.
Although it’s theorized that these compounds are coming from China, “nobody really knows for sure,” Dr. Jarid Pachter from Stony Brook Medicine, who specializes in family medicine and addiction medicine, told The Epoch Times.
So far, 20 distinct types of nitazenes have been detected in illegal street drugs, turning up with increasing frequency. As Schedule I drugs in the United States, a class that includes drugs with no accepted medical use and high abuse and addiction potential, all nitazenes are illegal.
Nitazenes are being used to spike and strengthen illegal drugs while also making them cheaper to produce, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). But this chemical tampering has already led to deadly overdoses.
UK Sounds Alarm on Spiking of Drug Supplies With Nitazenes
Like the United States, the UK is grappling with its own drug crisis. Recently, nitazenes have been detected in substances peddled as other opioids, benzodiazepines, or cannabis products.
Data from Scotland’s Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) early warning system showed nitazenes directly caused 25 deaths between 2022 and 2023—compared to none before—identified in postmortem toxicology tests.
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