9 months ago
Nitazene: The Undetected Opioid Driving Deaths
Nitazene is a strong, hard-to-detect opioid that's causing more deaths than we know.
It's often mixed with other drugs, and even small amounts can be deadly.
While fentanyl is still the main cause of opioid deaths, nitazene is becoming a bigger problem.
Nitazene, a synthetic opioid, is increasingly linked to opioid deaths.
It's five to nine times stronger than fentanyl and often goes undetected.
In 2023, 320 U.S. overdose deaths involved nitazenes, but the number is likely understated.
Fentanyl remains the top cause of opioid deaths, but nitazene's role is growing.
Small doses of nitazene can be deadly, and it's often found in other products.
- Who
- Nitazene users and those exposed to it unknowingly
- What
- Increasing opioid deaths due to nitazene
- Where
- Worldwide, with a significant presence in the U.S.
- When
- First emerged in 2019, with a significant rise in 2023 and 2024
- Why
- Largely due to its potency and difficulty to detect, often mixed with other drugs
Public Health Officials
Law Enforcement
Testing Limitations
Public Health Officials
Antiquated toxicology panels fail to catch nitazenes, leading to underreported deaths.
Law Enforcement
Law enforcement struggles to keep up with new synthetic analogs, making it harder to track and combat.
Key facts
- Strength
- Five to nine times stronger than fentanyl
- First Detected
- 2019
- U.S. Overdose Deaths in 2023
- 320 (likely understated)
- Fentanyl Deaths in 2024
- 48,422
- Lethal Dose
- One grain or less
Quotes
Rolling Stone
A news magazine focusing on music, politics, and popular culture
“Nitazene’s presence mostly remained that way until 2019, when the drug emerged on the street market in Europe and the U.S.”
theweek.com
Ryan Marino
A toxicologist and expert in addiction medicine at University Hospitals in Cleveland
“The rise in nitazenes 'may be a response to efforts to reduce the supply of other opioids.'”
theweek.com
Frank Tarentino
The special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York lab
“With nitazene, 'we're talking about anywhere from one grain or less.'”
theweek.com
Dimitri Gerostamoulos
An associate professor and the chief toxicologist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine
“Synthetic opioids 'slow down the part of your brain that tells you to breathe.'”
theweek.com
Chinazo Cunningham
The commissioner of the New York State Office of Addiction, Services and Supports
“Naloxone 'may take a couple of doses' for very powerful opioids.”
theweek.com
