Buckeye Reporter

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wants citizens to be aware of nitazene, a synthetic opioid that is 40 times as potent as fentanyl.

“Frankenstein opioids are even more lethal than the drugs already responsible for so many overdose deaths,” Yost said in a release from his office. “Law enforcement and the public need to pay attention to these emerging hazards.”

Law enforcement officials stated that Butler, Montgomery and Scioto County have seen a surge in nitazene with Clermont and Warren County not far behind, WKRC reported.

"It's really shifted how we do law enforcement, because now we have to talk about harm reduction," Tom Synan, co-chair of the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition, said. "Now, you'll hear us say, 'Never use alone, make sure you have Narcan.'"

Synan said that it can be mixed into other street drugs, which contributes to its ability to be lethal. It's been found all across the state and Synan was first made aware of it roughly two years ago.

"It came on our radar, and at the time, isotonitazene was not banned in Ohio, or internationally," Synan said. "We were able to work with the governor's office and Office of National Drug Control Policy and get it banned in Ohio and internationally."  

The news station said that while number of cases of nitazene are small, officials believe it is worth looking out for the drug.

"My concern is that nitazenes, this new drug on the market, could be marketed as a new drug more potent and powerful to draw more people in," Synan said.

Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law that authorizes the Ohio Board of Pharmacy "the authority to classify more nitazene compounds as Schedule I drugs" with 143 nitazene cases documented in the first quarter this year as opposed to 27 at this time last year, WKRC said.