A spike in a dangerous synthetic opioid nicknamed the 'Frankenstein opioid' has sparked serious public health concerns in the US.
Florida's Attorney General Ashley Moody warned people this week that the drug, officially known as 'nitazene compounds', could be up to 40 times as powerful as Fentanyl.
According to the AAFP, the drugs are regularly mixed with fentanyl or heroin, resulting in severe skin, muscle and bone infections, skin ulcers, and overdose deaths.
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As the nickname suggests, the drugs are often combined with fentanyl, cocaine, or heroin.
Republican Moody is pushing for the deadly drugs to be added to the Schedule I controlled substance list in Florida, which would categorise them as having a high abuse potential with no acceptable medical use.
Speaking to Fox News, she explained: "Last year, I signed an emergency rule temporarily adding these deadly nitazene compounds to the Schedule I controlled substance list.
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"I am proud to announce my support for SB 736, which will permanently add these incredibly deadly drugs to the Schedule I list."
She continued: "For years, I have been warning about how just one pill laced with fentanyl can kill, but with some of these nitazene compounds that message is becoming, one pill will kill.
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"It is important to bring awareness to Floridians of all ages - do not take any illicit drug, just one use could cost you your life."
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Just last year, Ohio's Attorney General Dave Yost made a similar warning about 'Frankenstein opioids', after the first quarter of 2022 saw 143 nitazene cases in the state, compared to 27 cases in the same period the previous year.
According to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Laboratory Division, the drugs can be between 1.5 and 40 times more potent than fentanyl.
"Frankenstein opioids are even more lethal than the drugs already responsible for so many overdose deaths," Yost had said back in April.
"Law enforcement and the public need to pay attention to these emerging hazards."
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The deadly drug is reportedly being found across the US, leaving devastating effects on its users.
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Also concerned is Virginia's Attorney General Jason Miyares, who told Fox News: "'Frankenstein' opioids, which are even more powerful than the incredibly lethal and potent fentanyl, are the newest variation and are guaranteed to have a devastating effect on Virginians if we do not take swift and decisive action."
Miyares and Moody are two of 21 attorneys who are calling on President Biden to declare drug cartels as foreign terrorist organisations.
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According to the CDC, a jaw-dropping 110,000 people died of opioid overdose in the 12 month period ending in March 2022, a new record for the US.
Ali Condon