According to the National Crime Agency in the UK dangerous level. In the review of the British drug market in 2024, the agency recorded a sharp increase in cocaine use, an explosion of marijuana imports and the spread of a new synthetic opioid.
Drug organs around the world are increasingly concerned about nitazen. The drugs developed in the 1950s are so strong that they have never been allowed for medical use, which means that it is too little known about them.
The vast majority of nitazen are much stronger than heroin, and some seem even stronger than fentanyl – Synthetic opioid, which last year contributed to the death of almost 50,000. Americans.
Since the appearance of the illegal drug market in 2019, nitazens were detected in many places. Cases of overdose were recorded in Africa, America, Australia, and in particular in Europe. Nitazens are often sold as other products. In Ireland they appeared as “Chinese heroin”, and in Australia they were found in the form of MDMA, a party drug known better as Ecstasy.
They also often appear as pollution or additives – for example, in West Africa, they were found in products containing cannabinoids.
Smugglers rub their hands
Why right now? Synthetic opioids are attractive to illegal drug producers. They are easier to produce than heroin, whose production depends on the cultivation of poppy seeds and whims of people controlling fields. Because their chemical structures can be easily modified, manufacturers can circumvent the bans on specific compounds.
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Due to the strong effect of the smuggler, nitazen smuggler can pack more lucrative doses to smaller, lighter packaging. That is why Fentanyl has long been popular among traders. And because the anti -nobacco police around the world began to fight him, many criminals switched to nitazens.
Time is suggestive. Fentanyl has been controlled by UN Convention since 1964, but America has intensified its activities in 2018 and banned all fentanyl analogues. China, the main manufacturer of fentanyl, followed in its footsteps in 2019, and local production fell sharply. In 2021, the Taliban took power in Afghanistan and banned Opium production, which could disturb the supply of heroin to Europe. The market conditions are therefore conducive to the appearance of a new, uncontrolled class of synthetic opioids.
This means that nitazenas are an example of the iron principle of prohibition, proposed in 1986 by Richard Cowan – an activist for drug legalization. The ban on using one compound opens up door for a new, stronger alternative – Like prohibition in America, it led to the transition from beer to high -percentage alcohols, which are easier to smuggle and more dangerous.
Drug addicts on the street in Philadelphia, USA (illustrative photo)Lokman Vural Elibol / Anadol Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images
The ban is not a solution
Some say that the current opioid crisis in the US can also be understood in this way. The tightening of the provisions on the prescription of opioid painkillers meant that crowds of patients were unable to legally obtain their medications. Many of them turned to illegal dealers and became addicted to stronger drugssuch as fentanyl.
Better detection and treatment is necessary. Patients with overdose and street drugs should be tested to determine how nitazenas are used. Rich countries should share information about new nitazen structures with poor countries. Nalloxon, an antidote for an overdose of opioids, should be more accessible to friends and families of addicts. If he is at hand, an overdose person has a better chance of survival.
In the long run, governments should look for ways to discourage innovation on the illegal drug market. Just prohibiting every new drug is not a solution.
Nitazens are probably too dangerous to legalize them. However, the best way to reduce damage to people who take drugs and income of criminal gangs is to enable dependent regulated access to better learned opioids, including heroin.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
