‘The next fentanyl ‘ | Bipartisan legislation takes aim at powerful nitazenes

Nitazenes, developed in the 1950s as a painkiller, is being referred to as the “next fentanyl,” though the synthetic opioids are 40 times stronger than fentanyl.

Loopholes in federal law allow drug traffickers to make slight chemical changes to nitazenes to evade enforcement.

New legislation from Eugene Vindman (D-Va.-07) and Michael Baumgartner (R-Wash.-05) – the Nitazene Control Act – aims to close the loopholes, by moving nitazenes under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

“Nitazenes are the next fentanyl — cheap to produce, easy to traffic, and devastatingly lethal. Too many families already have an empty seat at the table because of these synthetic drugs. I’m proud to work across the aisle to confront this crisis, protect our communities, and give law enforcement the tools to save lives,” said Vindman, who visited the DEA’s Clandestine Lab and Training Facility at Quantico last week to learn more about the new challenge presented by nitazenes.

Nitazenes were never approved for medical use, because of their potency, but they have increasingly been detected in the U.S. drug supply, often mixed — without the user’s knowledge — into counterfeit pills, heroin, or other substances.

Their extreme potency has led to clusters of overdose deaths across the United States.

“Right now, drug traffickers adapt faster than the law. By closing this loophole, we’re staying one step ahead to keep these deadly poisons out of our communities,” Vindman said.

The DEA added nitazenes to its 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, warning that their extreme potency, low cost, and their resistance to standard doses of naloxone complicates emergency response.

The bipartisan legislation gives law enforcement a proactive tool to keep these substances from gaining the same foothold fentanyl has in the U.S.

“I’m proud to work with Rep. Vindman on the Nitazene Control Act to stop what could become the next major wave of the opioid crisis,” Baumgartner said. “Nitazenes are extremely powerful synthetic drugs, even stronger than fentanyl, and they’re already appearing in fake pills and street drugs across the country. We need to act now. This bill takes a smart, proactive approach by cracking down on these drugs before they spread further, while still allowing for legitimate medical research. It’s a targeted response to a dangerous and fast-moving threat.”