Rolling Stone | November 15, 2025 | Feature Story
Overview
Rolling Stone’s investigation into nitazenes, a class of synthetic opioids up to five to nine times more potent than fentanyl, features insight from Jessica Steinman, LMFT, Chief Clinical Officer at No Matter What Recovery. First synthesized in the 1950s and largely confined to research for decades, nitazenes surfaced on the illicit market in 2019 and have since spread across North America and Europe, driving a rising number of overdose deaths.
What Experts Are Warning About
Steinman explained one of the reasons these drugs are proliferating so quickly: “The chemicals that make up nitazenes are fairly inexpensive and also easy to access,” making them cheap to manufacture and easy to move into the drug supply.
The reporting outlines why nitazenes are so dangerous:
- Extreme potency. Isotonitazene, the most common variant, is five to nine times stronger than fentanyl, and less than two milligrams can be fatal.
- Invisible to users. Nitazenes are frequently mixed into heroin, counterfeit pills, and even non-opioid substances, so most people have no idea they are taking them.
- Hard to detect. Standard fentanyl test strips and many hospital toxicology panels do not catch nitazenes, which means overdose deaths are likely underreported.
- Difficult to reverse. Naloxone can still reverse a nitazene overdose, but because of the potency it often takes multiple doses.
With more than 20 known variants and new compounds continually created to stay ahead of drug-scheduling laws, experts describe nitazenes as the next escalation in an already devastating opioid epidemic.
Context for No Matter What Recovery
As an LGBTQ+-focused addiction treatment provider, No Matter What Recovery sees the human cost of a drug supply that grows more unpredictable and more lethal every year. A contaminated supply means that any use, even a single pill, can be deadly. Our clinical team meets people where they are, offering evidence-based treatment for opioid and other substance use disorders alongside the co-occurring mental health conditions that so often accompany them.
Jessica Steinman’s inclusion in Rolling Stone’s national reporting reflects the clinical expertise our team brings to the conversation around addiction, harm reduction, and recovery.
Source
Read the full article on Rolling Stone.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, the team at No Matter What Recovery is here to help. Contact us to speak with our admissions team, or visit our locations in Los Angeles and Chicago to start the conversation.
