A new type of synthetic opioid more potent than fentanyl is cropping up across the country. State health officials and law enforcement are on the lookout.
Benzimidazoles, which are more commonly called nitazenes, are a versatile class of drugs. But nitazenes can also be formed into powerful synthetic opioids that are about 20 times more potent than fentanyl.
Nitizenes have been detected in counterfeit pills made to look like common pharmaceutical drugs.
While not reported yet in Montana, they have been detected in the D.C. area, Tennessee and the Midwest. However, it’s hard to know how much of the drug supply might be impacted.
Jeffrey Singer writes about drug policy for the CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank.
“So we’re starting to see it more, but most labs are not familiar with it, not checking for it. So for all we know, it’s even more prevalent,” Singer said.
Montana health officials and the state crime lab said they can test for some but not all types of netizens. They said they are bolstering their testing capabilities.
There hasn’t been a documented death from a netizen overdose in Montana.