Long-time Legal Insurrection readers may recall a series of posts on a class of opioids called nitazenes in the autumn of 2022.
Nitazenes are synthetic opioids developed initially in the 1950s as potential pain relievers but were never approved for clinical use due to their extreme potency and high overdose risk. These compounds can be hundreds of times more potent than morphine, and many specific nitazene-based chemicals are 20 to 43 times stronger than fentanyl.
That year, I noted that these drugs were being manufactured in China, and they were steadily finding their way into America’s illegal drug networks.
The growing danger of nitazene-tainted opioids in illicit drug supply isn’t specific to Tennessee, of course.In June, the Washington, D.C.-based branch of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency issued an alert on the same class of drugs being spotted in that area.“A drug that was never approved for medical use, nitazenes are being sourced from China and being mixed into other drugs,” the DEA explained in a statement.
At that time, the introduction of nitazenes caused a surge in opioid overdoses. In part, the increase was due to the fact that these compounds are resistant to Narcan, the primary antidote used in emergency medical treatment. In the case of nitazene, multiple doses may be needed because of the potency of the drug.
Not surprisingly, the Biden administration failed to control the spread. Now, in a New York Post exclusive interview, a senior DEA agent is warning that the country has been caught off guard in dealing with this crisis.
Just as authorities in the US and China increase efforts to tackle the scourge of fentanyl, the drug manufacturers, who are motivated by “greed,” shifted to start producing nitazenes — an even deadlier poison, said Drug Enforcement Administration Houston Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan C. Pullen.The Trump administration has hit Mexico and China with sanctions and tariffs to force the foreign governments to act against illicit drug producers responsible for the poisonings of thousands of Americans each year….But the Chinese pharma companies and cartels have already moved to introduce a new and stronger drug that many authorities are just now learning about, Pullen said.“I do think we are behind the curve. But that’s been the case with these synthetic opioids — that they shift,” he told The Post.“And if we get into a place where then we are able to issue controls or China issues more controls on the precursor chemicals that go to these, they’ll just change the analog and it’ll go to another precursor chemical. China’s already done that,” he added.
Shravani Durbhakula, MD, associate professor of Anesthesiology, Division of Pain Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, warns that the flood of nitazenes into the illegal drug market is a “public health emergency” because it is routinely mixed with other opioid compounds.
“Many people consuming nitazenes don’t even know they’re taking them,” Durbhakula said. “These substances are often adulterants in pills sold as other opioids, making public education more important than ever.“We also want to stress that this is not just a drug issue; it is a public health emergency. Addressing it will require collaboration between clinicians, public health officials, law enforcement and community organizations to implement harm-reduction strategies, support addiction treatment, and raise awareness about these evolving threats,” she added.
The medical recommendations for this situation include access to new test strips that can detect nitazenes, prescribing Narcan for at-risk patients, and education about counterfeit pills.
However, the Trump administration is open to using new and spectacular drug-control approaches.
Reports indicate a stash of nitazene was recently found for the first time in the Long Island area, so its presence continues to spread.
“It’s alarming,” Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino said. “We haven’t come across this compound anywhere in the entire Northeast.”
I sure hope there are even more kinetic strikes as part of this innovative new approach to end the poisoning of our people.
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