NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX: A trio of Republican senators is introducing a coordinated slate of legislation to crack down on nitazenes — a class of synthetic opioids that are little known to the public but increasingly viewed by law enforcement and health officials as potentially the next fentanyl-level crisis.
Sens. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania unveiled three new bills aimed at addressing the growing spread of nitazenes through law enforcement, technology and foreign policy measures. The push represents one of the most aggressive congressional efforts yet to get ahead of what experts warn could be a deadly new chapter in America’s opioid epidemic.
Schmitt’s Detection Equipment and Technology Evaluation to Counter the Threat of Nitazenes Act of 2025, or DETECT Nitazenes Act, directs the Department of Homeland Security to work with the Drug Enforcement Administration to develop and deploy new technology capable of detecting trace amounts of nitazenes. The bill also updates the Homeland Security Act to explicitly include nitazenes in federal efforts to identify and disrupt illicit substances.
Ricketts and McCormick joined Schmitt and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in introducing the Nitazene Control Act, which would permanently classify nitazenes as Schedule I controlled substances under federal law — the same category as heroin, fentanyl and LSD.
DEADLY DRUG MIX DRIVES STAGGERING RISE IN OVERDOSE DEATHS AMONG SENIORS
Once obscure laboratory compounds, nitazenes began appearing around 2019 in seizures and toxicology reports across North America, Europe, and beyond. Because they often contaminate counterfeit pills or powders without users’ knowledge, even trace amounts can be lethal. (Craig Kohlruss/Fresno Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
And in a third measure, Ricketts, Schmitt and McCormick rolled out the Nitazene Sanctions Act, which targets the Chinese supply chain behind the synthetic opioids. The bill would expand sanctions on persons and entities in Communist China that support the manufacturing of nitazenes and require the State and Justice Departments to develop a coordinated strategy to cut off the flow of precursor chemicals into the United States.
“Nitazenes could become the next fentanyl crisis if not stopped,” Ricketts said. “It’s already killed thousands of Europeans, and it’s quickly making its way to our shores. The Nitazene Sanctions Act will unleash sweeping sanctions against those in Communist China who are helping to poison and kill Americans.”
Schmitt echoed that warning. “Nitazenes are powerful synthetic opioids which overwhelmingly originate from Communist China. The Nitazene Sanctions Act will combat this deadly drug by unleashing devastating sanctions against any entity in Communist China that is manufacturing this deadly drug to poison and kill American citizens,” he said.
DEA MAKES MASS ARRESTS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE FENTANYL AND METH BUST TIED TO SINALOA CARTEL
McCormick added that the scope of the problem should serve as a wake-up call. “The fact that nitazenes are oftentimes more deadly than fentanyl, which killed nearly 4,000 Pennsylvanians last year alone, should be a wake-up call to us all,” he said. “We must target nitazenes before they become the next drug epidemic. These illicit drugs are extremely potent and difficult to detect.”
Nitazenes belong to a class of synthetic opioids known as benzimidazole-opioids. First developed in the 1950s as experimental painkillers, they were never approved for medical use due to their extreme potency and risk of overdose. The most common forms are estimated to be five to nine times stronger than fentanyl, and some variants can be up to 40 times more potent, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A trio of Republican senators is introducing a coordinated slate of legislation to crack down on nitazenes — a class of synthetic opioids that are little known to the public but increasingly viewed by law enforcement and health officials as a looming threat to become the next fentanyl-level crisis. (Buckeye Police Department)
Once obscure laboratory compounds, nitazenes began appearing around 2019 in seizures and toxicology reports across North America, Europe, and beyond. Because they often contaminate counterfeit pills or powders without users’ knowledge, even trace amounts can be lethal.
Recent data from the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) highlight the rapid rise of nitazene-related overdoses across the country. Between January 2023 and April 2025, emergency medical services recorded 18,449 encounters tied to nitazene use — 99.4 percent non-fatal and 0.6 percent fatal — with the highest rates concentrated in the Southeast. The DEA’s Houston office has also warned of a spike in fatal poisonings involving nitazenes in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.
The true scale of the crisis, however, remains difficult to measure. Many state toxicology systems and CDC overdose tracking programs do not yet distinguish nitazenes from other synthetic opioids, leaving significant blind spots in federal data.
Many state toxicology systems and CDC overdose tracking programs do not yet distinguish nitazenes from other synthetic opioids, leaving significant blind spots in federal data. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian)
Unlike opium-based narcotics, nitazenes and other synthetic opioids can be produced anywhere using widely available precursor chemicals. U.S. officials have warned that Chinese chemical manufacturers can easily synthesize these compounds — and that Mexican cartels could exploit their supply networks with Chinese partners to funnel nitazenes into the U.S.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Together, the three new Senate bills — the DETECT Nitazenes Act, Nitazene Control Act, and Nitazene Sanctions Act — mark a coordinated Republican effort to confront the emerging threat from multiple angles: technology, law enforcement, and international pressure.
While fentanyl remains the leading driver of America’s overdose epidemic, lawmakers and health officials are increasingly concerned that nitazenes could represent a new and even deadlier frontier in the synthetic-opioid crisis — one that the GOP senators say must be confronted before it spirals out of control.
