Nitazenes , a class of synthetic opioids built around a benzimidazole core, have become one of the most dangerous emerging psychoactive substances, linked to a rising number of overdoses and deaths.
Nitazenes are known to be extremely potent synthetic opioids, with some variants up to 500 times stronger than heroin and 10 times stronger than fentanyl, as reported by The Guardian.
Developed by pharmaceutical companies in the 1950s as potential painkillers, they were never approved for medical use.
Despite this, nitazenes are increasingly found on the black market, appearing in vape liquids sold as cannabis, pills shaped like teddy bears and marketed as MDMA, powders passed off as cocaine, and counterfeit pain medication.
If contaminated with nitazenes, just six puffs from a vape, one pill sold as MDMA, or a single line of “cocaine” can be fatal.
Nitazenes have been linked to thousands of overdose deaths in the United States and dozens more in the United Kingdom, with Australian federal police warning that using them is like playing “Russian roulette.”
The Australian Border Force has intercepted the drugs more than 60 times, mostly through postal shipments. Acting Commander Troy Sokoloff warned last December that “the threat they pose to the Australian community is immense," as cited by The Guardian.
Official data show that as of 2024, nitazenes have been detected in Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, with Europe being the most affected so far. Unlike fentanyl, which entered Europe through Mexico and the United States, nitazenes are being shipped directly from Asia through a broader range of distribution networks.
Nitazenes were first developed in the 1950s and 1960s by the pharmaceutical company Ciba-Geigy as experimental synthetic opioids. Though they proved more potent than morphine in animal studies, they were never marketed due to safety concerns.
After tighter controls on fentanyl production were introduced in China and the US in 2019, nitazene analogues such as isotonitazene, methonitazene, and etodesnitazene began emerging in recreational drug markets worldwide, as reported by The Conversation.
One major challenge is that nitazene overdoses are difficult to reverse. Naloxone (Narcan), which counteracts opioids like heroin and fentanyl, is far less effective against nitazenes.
Challenges in detection
Nitazenes pose major challenges for forensic testing since they don’t appear in standard screens for opioids like heroin or fentanyl. Their extreme potency and low concentrations require highly sensitive detection methods, which must be regularly updated as new variants continue to emerge.
As of March 2025, only ten nitazenes had been placed under international control, though several countries have begun introducing specific laws to regulate them, as cited by The Conversation.
Nitazenes are known to be extremely potent synthetic opioids, with some variants up to 500 times stronger than heroin and 10 times stronger than fentanyl, as reported by The Guardian.
Developed by pharmaceutical companies in the 1950s as potential painkillers, they were never approved for medical use.
Despite this, nitazenes are increasingly found on the black market, appearing in vape liquids sold as cannabis, pills shaped like teddy bears and marketed as MDMA, powders passed off as cocaine, and counterfeit pain medication.
If contaminated with nitazenes, just six puffs from a vape, one pill sold as MDMA, or a single line of “cocaine” can be fatal.
Nitazenes have been linked to thousands of overdose deaths in the United States and dozens more in the United Kingdom, with Australian federal police warning that using them is like playing “Russian roulette.”
The Australian Border Force has intercepted the drugs more than 60 times, mostly through postal shipments. Acting Commander Troy Sokoloff warned last December that “the threat they pose to the Australian community is immense," as cited by The Guardian.
Official data show that as of 2024, nitazenes have been detected in Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, with Europe being the most affected so far. Unlike fentanyl, which entered Europe through Mexico and the United States, nitazenes are being shipped directly from Asia through a broader range of distribution networks.
Nitazenes were first developed in the 1950s and 1960s by the pharmaceutical company Ciba-Geigy as experimental synthetic opioids. Though they proved more potent than morphine in animal studies, they were never marketed due to safety concerns.
After tighter controls on fentanyl production were introduced in China and the US in 2019, nitazene analogues such as isotonitazene, methonitazene, and etodesnitazene began emerging in recreational drug markets worldwide, as reported by The Conversation.
One major challenge is that nitazene overdoses are difficult to reverse. Naloxone (Narcan), which counteracts opioids like heroin and fentanyl, is far less effective against nitazenes.
Challenges in detection
Nitazenes pose major challenges for forensic testing since they don’t appear in standard screens for opioids like heroin or fentanyl. Their extreme potency and low concentrations require highly sensitive detection methods, which must be regularly updated as new variants continue to emerge.
As of March 2025, only ten nitazenes had been placed under international control, though several countries have begun introducing specific laws to regulate them, as cited by The Conversation.
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