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In recent weeks, several states have issued urgent warnings about cychlorphine, a potent synthetic opioid linked to numerous overdoses, surpassing even fentanyl in strength. This alarming trend has captured the attention of health officials across the nation.
Cychlorphine belongs to a new wave of synthetic opioids infiltrating the illicit drug market in the United States. Unlike fentanyl, cychlorphine cannot be detected using standard fentanyl test strips, increasing its risk factor as it is often mixed with other street drugs. Notably, cychlorphine has not been approved for human use, heightening concerns about its presence in the drug supply.
Despite these challenges, there is some relief in knowing that Narcan, a well-known treatment for opioid overdoses, is still believed to be effective against cychlorphine overdoses. However, this underscores the critical need for awareness and preparedness in communities affected by this dangerous substance.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been monitoring the situation closely. In a statement to The Hill, the DEA revealed that “N-propionitrile chlorphine” was first identified in Florida by a DEA laboratory in April 2024. Since then, through February 2026, the agency’s labs have identified the substance in 22 samples.
Regions like East Tennessee have already felt the devastating impact, with cychlorphine linked to 19 overdose deaths. In Ohio, the Gallia County Health Department has issued an overdose alert, and last month, the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security released a public warning about the drug. These alerts serve as critical reminders of the ongoing battle against the opioid crisis, now complicated by the emergence of even more potent synthetic drugs.
The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education (CFSRE) issued a public alert at the end of January on the spread of cychlorphine, or N-propionitrile chlorphine.
“In vitro pharmacology data show this drug to be approximately 10x more potent than fentanyl,” the CFSRE’s alert stated. “The positivity of N-propionitrile chlorphine, specifically in fatal drug overdoses, has increased since mid-2025.”
At the time of the CFSRE’s alert, cychlorphine had been detected in New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, Washington, Nevada and California.
“Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than that of heroin, and then the cychlorphine is 10 times more powerful than fentanyl,” Jim Joyner, president of the Ohio Association of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Counselors, told The Hill. “So, you’re talking about very minute amounts of the drug that could be potentially lethal.”
As Joyner explained, chronic opioid addicts pursue substances that promise a stronger high just to feel “normal,” and reports of a newer drug causing overdoses actually attract addicts to it.
“This defies natural survival instinct,” said Joyner. “Why do people do it? Well, you got to understand what addiction is. It’s a brain disorder. It’s not a choice, not rational. It’s a distortion on the environment how brain functions that results with repetitive use of very powerful psychoactive substances.”
Synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, have become a pressing issue in the U.S. According to the World Health Organization, about half of all opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2019 were a result of synthetic opioids.
According to addiction specialists, it’s unclear where cychlorphine is originating, but it’s not hard for labs to pump it out.
“Most of these are coming from either South Asia, China, places where there’s a lot of chemical supply companies,” said Timothy Wiegand, president-elect of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
“It isn’t coming just like somebody in their bathroom, making it like methamphetamine, from a couple of products or in the U.S. It’s coming from international, multilevel drug distribution networks, some of the cartels or other isolated networks,” added Wiegand.
Just this week, the U.S. and China got into a spat at a United Nations drug meeting, with the former accusing the latter of failing to stem the sale of precursor chemicals for fentanyl.
“We know that China’s weak export controls and lax enforcement allow its chemical industry to foster friendships with the [drug] cartels,” Sara Carter, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said in a delivered statement.
“It is regrettable that just now the U.S. delegate again made remarks that do not reflect reality,” Chinese envoy Gao Wei said in his own statement.
Wiegand noted that while some cychlorphine might also be reaching people through the dark web, most people buying opioids off the street probably aren’t even aware they’re taking this highly potent opioid.
While the drug has been circulating for at least the past year, Joyner speculated that cychlorphine has only recently come to public awareness because it wasn’t being tested for.
Wiegand said the recent cluster deaths also contributed to the rise in public attention.
“The main thing is that this is part of the new wave of synthetic opioids. This is not going away,” he said. “It’s not going away. It’s not going to replace fentanyl. Fentanyl is not going away. Fentanyl is a very easy chemical to make, and tons of money, billions and billions of dollars involved in synthesizing this, even with putting restrictions on it.”