Nitazenes: The Potent Synthetic Opioids Fueling a Deadly New Crisis

As the opioid crisis continues to devastate communities worldwide, a new and even more dangerous threat has emerged in the form of nitazenes - a class of extremely potent synthetic opioids. Since 2019, these drugs have been rapidly spreading across the globe, first in Europe and then in the United States, posing a growing public health crisis.

Nitazenes are 5 to 9 times stronger than fentanyl, which is already 25 to 50 times more potent than heroin. In fact, less than 2 milligrams of the most common nitazene, isotonitazene, can be fatal. This alarming potency has led to a surge in overdose deaths, with nitazenes being linked to at least 200 fatalities in Europe and North America between 2020 and 2021, and 93 more in 2022.

The situation has only worsened in 2023, with the Ohio Department of Health reporting 77 nitazene-related overdose deaths in the first six months of the year, a significant increase from the previous two years. This trend is mirrored across the country, as nitazenes have been found in over 4,300 law enforcement drug seizures since 2019, indicating their rapid spread and growing presence in the illicit drug market.

Experts believe that nitazenes may have emerged as a replacement for fentanyl analogues after bans were enacted in China and the United States. Additionally, the Taliban-imposed ban on opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan may have further fueled the rise of these synthetic opioids. With new variants constantly appearing, the challenge of addressing this crisis is compounded by the difficulty in detecting and testing for these invisible killers.