The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a stark warning to parents regarding a dangerous synthetic opioid known as nitazene.
This potent drug, initially developed in the 1950s as a substitute for morphine, was deemed too powerful and never approved by the FDA.
In an effort to raise awareness, KPRC 2 sat down with Penny Jennings, a mother who tragically lost her son to an overdose.
On New Year’s Day 2021, Jennings found her son Cameron unresponsive in his bed. He had succumbed to an overdose, with paraphernalia found nearby. Cameron was only 23 years old and had developed an addiction to drugs following a high school football injury.
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Jennings explained that Cameron was prescribed pain pills, which eventually led to a more significant problem.
“He started smoking oxys,” she recounted. “We went in and out of drug rehab and sober living houses. The thing about opiate addiction is it’s a very powerful drug. It changes the chemistry of your brain. So we weren’t just fighting physical addiction; it was also a psychological addiction.”
Reflecting on the current opioid crisis, Jennings expressed her fears about nitazenes. “It’s scary because it’s obviously so easy to get, and people are already overdosing from that drug,” she said.
The DEA reports 15 deaths in Houston related to overdoses from nitazenes a staggering 57 percent increase from November to February, alongside 11 seizures associated with the drug.
When asked about the rise in nitazenes, Jennings noted, “We are seeing it produced in China and then smuggled into the United States in parcels. It’s also being used as an adulterant in other drugs, and we’re seeing an increase in pills pressed to look like pharmaceutical drugs that contain nothing but nitazenes.”
William Kimbell, Special Agent in Charge at the DEA, emphasized the alarming potency of nitazenes. “Naloxone and Narcan can counteract the effects of synthetic opioids like nitazenes and fentanyl,” he stated. “However, it might take multiple doses to have an impact due to their potency.”
Jennings urges parents to keep a close eye on their children. Since her son’s passing, she has dedicated her time to volunteering with the Montgomery County Overdose Prevention Endeavor (M-COPE), a nonprofit aimed at preventing overdose deaths and supporting families affected by substance use.