KNOXVILLE, TN (Story courtesy of WVLT) – An opioid called nitazenes has been spreading in Tennessee for the last couple of years. Health experts say it is 20 times more potent than fentanyl and hundreds to thousands times more potent than morphine.
Metro Drug Coalition has seen the drug pop up more often, especially when it’s mixed with fentanyl.
“When we come across nitazenes or people who are using nitazenes, it’s mixed in with fentanyl. So an individual that experiences an overdose, if nitazene is present, it is an opioid so naloxone will work, it may just take extra doses,” MDC Regional Overdose Prevention Specialist Brandon Styles said.
Vanderbilt Medical said it hit the illicit drug market in 2019 and comes in liquid, pill and powder forms.
MDC does its part to educate the people about the dangers of these drugs.
“It’s really hard to scare people that are in active addiction. So the best thing to do is educate them, let them know what resources are there, let them know the steps they can take if they are seeking help or if they have a loved one that’s seeking help,” Styles said.
We reached out to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation about nitazenes in our state. They sent a statement saying the following:
Styles adds that nitazenes can be hard to track in overdose cases.
“Nitazene is not on all toxicology tests so it’s not always something they’re actively looking for, but if it is requested, they do look for it,” Styles said.
The Tennessee Department of Health has reported 92 nitazene-related deaths in our state from 2019-2023. The CDC stated most of those cases were in Knox County, but attribute that likely to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center sending lab testing to the Drug Enforcement Agency.
