Nitazenes: the rise of a dangerous new opioid

A new class of synthetic opioids is sweeping through illicit drug markets all over the world. Nitazenes can be up to 25 times more potent than fentanyl—and hundreds of times stronger than heroin. How could restrictions on other drugs have fuelled the spread of these dangerous new opioids, and what should governments do about it?

Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Guests: The Economist’s Emilie Steinmark; Phoenix Kellye of Rebel Harm Reduction; George Eze of the University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospitals Complex. Thanks also to The Economist’s Ore Ogunbiyi. 

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