COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is warning Ohioans of nitazenes, a dangerous synthetic opioids that can be up to 40 times more potent than fentanyl.
A bulletin recently issued by the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation says that nitazene compounds, from a drug class known as benzimidazole-opioids, were originally synthesized in the 1950s to research their analgesic effects.
Yost said they are not approved for medical use in the world but are currently being made in clandestine labs.
“Frankenstein opioids are even more lethal than the drugs already responsible for so many overdose deaths,” Yost said. “Law enforcement and the public need to pay attention to these emerging hazards.”
In the first quarter of 2022, BCI reported 143 nitazene cases in Ohio, up from 27 in the same quarter in 2021.
Yost said nitazenes are being found in combination with other drugs, primarily fentanyl and fentanyl pharmacophores but also tramadol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and PCP analogs, in some instances.
Recent studies show that nitazene compounds can be anywhere from 1.5 to 40 times more potent than fentanyl, according to Yost.
Yost adds additional doses of naloxone may be required to reverse overdoses involving nitazene.
BCI cautions officers and first responders should handle all items suspected of containing nitazenes or fentanyl-related substances with caution and proper personal protective equipment.
