Ohio AG issues warning about "Frankenstein opioids," more powerful than fentanyl

A dangerous, new group of synthetic opioids called nitazenes are rapidly spreading across the U.S. LONDON, Ohio – A dangerous, new group of synthetic opioids called "nitazenes" is rapidly spreading across the U.S. In Ohio, the state's Attorney General Dave Yost issued a warning about the prevalence of nitazenes as the Buckeye state saw an increase in the illicit drug. The drug, nicknamed "Frankestein opioids," can be 1.5 to 40 times more potent than fentanyl. It is not approved for medical use anywhere in the world but is currently being made in clandestine labs, according to a bulletin from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). At BCI, forensic experts are sounding the alarm after tracking a year-over-year increase in nitazenes. In the first quarter of 2022, BCI reported 143 nitazene cases in Ohio, up from 27 cases in the same quarter of 2021.