Rising threat of nitazenes joins fentanyl in Canada’s toxic drug supply [Video]

The toxic drug crisis has taken more than 47,000 lives in Canada since 2016 and the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a household name. But now, what’s believed to be an even more potent class of synthetic drugs is showing up in drug busts across the country: nitazenes.

RCMP in Metro Vancouver, Labrador, and Prince Edward Island have seized nitazenes as part of drug busts this year.

Public health units in Ottawa and Quebec’s Eastern Townships have also flagged them.  

Here are some answers to common questions about the class of substances.

What are nitazenes?

Nitazenes are potent, synthetic opioids linked to overdose deaths in many parts of the world, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Are they new?

No. Nitazenes were created as potential pain relievers in the 1950s.

But they were never approved for clinical use, such as human or veterinary medicines, according to the U.K. Advisory Council on the Misuse of …