Novel Psychoactive Substances: Isotonitazene – a FACT SHEET by the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association

The Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association is monitoring the emergence of novel psychoactive substances appearing on the illicit drug market in the United States. The term “novel” does not denote a new, never-before-seen substance but rather a substance that is newly available in the drug market. This fact examines isotonitazene, a synthetic opioid recently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Scientists first synthesized isotonitazene in the mid-1950s as part of an effort to develop safer opioid analgesics. This effort did not prove successful, and there is currently no accepted medical use for isotonitazene in the U.S. or in any other country. Isotonitazene is a mu-opioid receptor agonist and is 500 times more potent than morphine.

Read the Fact Sheet.