While the agency confirmed that deaths involving the synthetic opioid have risen from 27 to 409, officials stressed the need for a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial before advising the public to stop taking it.
ATLANTA — Responding to a new report showing a sharp increase in fatalities associated with a novel class of synthetic opioids, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday that it is far too early to establish a causal link between nitazenes and dying.
According to agency data, overdose deaths confirmed to involve nitazenes have risen from 27 in 2020 to 409 in 2024. However, public health officials were quick to note that the sample size remains statistically insignificant when compared to the broader population of Americans who are currently alive, and urged the medical community not to rush to judgment regarding the super-potent street drug.
We are seeing a strong correlative association between ingesting nitazenes and being zipped into a body bag, but we must remember that correlation does not equal causation.
Researchers emphasized that the current data is entirely observational. While preliminary animal models indicate that nitazenes are up to 40 times more potent than fentanyl, authors of a recent paper in The Lancet noted that human street-drug users are not laboratory mice, meaning the exact mechanism of their respiratory failure requires further peer-reviewed investigation. Confounding variables, such as what the deceased individuals may have eaten for breakfast prior to suffering total nervous system collapse, have not yet been fully controlled for.
Until a multi-decade longitudinal study can be completed, the CDC advises individuals who purchase mystery powders behind abandoned gas stations to interpret their subsequent loss of consciousness with a healthy degree of scientific skepticism.