fastandbulbous said:
Etonitazene causes much more respiratory depression for an analgesic dose in humans than most other opioids, which is why the nitazenes never made it to clinical use
I was under the impression it was because of unreliable activity. The dose depends on the person. It was reliable in rats, but not in humans.
Thomas K Highsmith is one person
Michael Hovey is another
Highsmith made etonitazine whilst working at Morton Thiokol. He didn't sell it or distribute it, he just took it via nasal inhaller. When he was caught, there was no dose of methadone able to stop the dreadful withdrawal and he killed himself. I know the case in detail since I was the one who wrote it up for Wiki.
Michael Hovey was a Dupont chemist who made 3 methyl fentanyl but had no distribution system. In the end he asked the janitor (who was black, so MUST have heavy connections) who promptly dropped a dime on him.
George Marquardt was the chemist who made a number of fentanyl analogs specifically for distribution. A lot of people died because trying to make a cut accurate is very difficult. So, one bag could be OK, the next 10,100 or even 1000x stronger. The product was made in Wichita, but sold on the west coast.
You didn't mention Barry Kidston (the man behind MPTP) or, indeed, the many other 'rogue' chemists who were caught. Owsley & Sands, Richard Kemp, Pickard & Appleton, Casey Hardison and so on. The list is endless.
Etonitazine also turned up in Germany and Russia. If you want to buy fentanyl analogs cheap, then hop on a plain to Tashkent where it's sold as 'Egg White' or 'Crocadile Snow Powder'. It's usually a raecemic mix of 3 methyl fentanyl although there are other similar compounds out there.