Nitazenes, a powerful and largely hidden class of synthetic opioids, are quickly becoming a deadly factor in the overdose crisis. Over 20 times stronger than fentanyl, these drugs often go undetected on routine drug tests, making overdoses harder to diagnose and reverse. Cases from Tennessee reveal a disturbing pattern of fatalities, with nitazenes frequently mixed into counterfeit pills alongside fentanyl and methamphetamine.
actually they have been around for awhile but are just starting to be a problem in the USA:
this video is from Australia
and yes, they come from China:
More here:
The illicit opioid supply is increasingly adulterated with novel synthetic opioids such as nitazenes. Nitazenes are very potent opioids and are increasingly associated with opioid overdoses and deaths. Despite their potency, nitazenes are reversed by naloxone. Given the high risk of overdose associated with these agents, improvements in the delivery of addiction care and naloxone distribution are needed to prevent morbidity and mortality from nitazenes and other novel opioids. The Evolution of the Opioid Crisis More than 107,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in 2022 with an age-adjusted rate of 32.6 deaths per 100,000 of the standard population.1 Since 2002, the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths increased for both men and women, although from 2021 to 2022 the rate decreased by one percent for women. In 2021 and 2022, drug overdose death rates were highest for adults aged 35–44 years old; people over the age of 65 had the largest percent increase from 12.0 to 13.2%. Regarding overdoses involving synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, rates increased from 2013 to 2022 (1.0 to 22.7%), while rates from heroin overdoses decreased from 2.8 to 1.8% from 2021 to 2022.
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