CINCINNATI — After a rise in overdose deaths tied to a synthetic opioid around 10 times stronger than fentanyl, officials are sounding the alarm about cychlorphine.
According to the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education, the drug was first detected at the lab in mid-2024 but has been identified more frequently since mid-2025. Cychlorphine has been found in 25 blood samples from deadly overdoses tested at the center, with most of those cases submitted in late 2025 and early 2026. It has also been tentatively identified in more than 100 toxicology cases at NMS Labs. Those samples came from nine states and three Canadian provinces.
The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security issued a public safety advisory this week after cychlorphine was detected in the state and linked to a string of deaths in eastern Tennessee.
“The drug supply is completely a mess,” Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan told WXIX-TV. “It’s polysubstances, and it’s mixed with anything they can get their hands on.”
Synan said the White House’s efforts to crack down on fentanyl have changed the illegal drug market, with dealers often mixing substances together. While he said fentanyl-related overdose deaths have decreased in his area, he’s concerned about the growing presence of new, even more powerful synthetic opioids.
“The only thing predictable with drug supply right now is how unpredictable it is,” Synan told FOX19. “If we don’t know what’s in the drug supply or how to respond to it, how do we save lives?”
Steele said many people overdosing on drugs like cychlorphine are responding to naloxone and urged the public to carry it, noting the drug market is constantly evolving.
Emily’s Hope has partnered with several organizations to expand free access to naloxone in South Dakota and Kansas.
