Federal researchers in Maryland identified a dangerous new sedative, N-methyl clonazepam, mixed with fentanyl in a recent string of overdoses in Baltimore. Health officials warn that Narcan is ineffective against it.
Findings from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Montgomery County, Maryland, indicate a new — and dangerous — component in fentanyl is being sold on the street.
A week after 27 people were taken to hospitals in Baltimore after suffering overdoses, WBFF Fox45 reported that research chemists have determined that samples taken from the area where the overdoses occurred contained a number of drugs, including N-methyl clonazepam — a sedative.
Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Kisha Davis said that’s significant.
“We have seen fentanyl combined with Xanax, with Adderall, with cocaine, with Xylazine, which makes it even harder to treat,” she said. “Xylazine, for example, is a potent animal sedative.”
Because Narcan is not effective against Xylazine, Davis said, “We just have to wait for that to kind of work it’s way out of the system. We don’t have something like Narcan that is going to reverse the effects.”
She was referring to the overdose reversal drug naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan.
The problem is similar when fentanyl is mixed with N-methyl clonazepam, Davis said.
“Narcan has no effect on it.”
Davis said the mass overdose in Baltimore serves as a reminder of just how dangerous fentanyl can be, especially because it’s so common to see it mixed with a range of unknown substances.
She urged people to take action when they suspect an overdose is taking place. If Narcan is available, she said, “You should absolutely give it, and if they don’t respond, you should give another dose.”
In any case, call 911.
“You want to make sure that you’re getting other help, and that other help is on the way because there may be (some other drugs) on board,” she said.
In a statement to WTOP, Rich Press with NIST said that while they’re confident in the samples they examined, NIST cannot establish “a connection between the samples it receives and any particular incident.” They added that the organization is not involved in the official police investigation for the July 10 overdoses.
Davis said there is some good news: Montgomery County has seen a drop in fatal overdoses overall in 2025, a 32% drop in fatal overdoses involving opioids and a 25% drop in fatal overdoses involving fentanyl.
She credits a number of factors for the reduction in deadly overdoses.
“I credit the police with getting some of that fentanyl off the streets in drug busts. I credit our public health team, who has really done a lot to educate people about the dangers of fentanyl,” she said. “I certainly credit the education that has happened around Narcan and naloxone so that people know that is available.”
“The education that’s happened amongst our young people around Narcan and naloxone is amazing,” she added.
She pointed to the messaging that “really talks about resilience, how to be a friend, how to recognize” signs of distress and mental illness and how to get help when needed.
While Davis said the drop in fatal overdoses in the county is encouraging, she added, “that still doesn’t get us to where we were before” fentanyl became so widely available as a street drug.
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