More deaths can likely be attributed to opioids than previously thought, and that is largely thanks to a substance called nitazene. The synthetic drug can be five to nine times stronger than fentanyl, which is already approximately 25 to 50 times stronger than heroin. Nitazene is often hidden in other products and difficult to test for, so it often goes undetected.

How prevalent is nitazene?

Nitazene was first developed in the 1950s as an analgesic, but was never approved for medical use. Instead, it was “limited to those researching opioid pharmacology,” said Rolling Stone . Nitazene’s presence mostly remained that way until 2019, when the drug emerged on the street market in Europe and the U.S. From there, its presence accelerated. In 2023, 20 different nitazenes were reported by 2

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