In East Tennessee, cychlorphine has been linked to 19 overdose deaths; the Gallia County Health Department in Ohio issued an overdose alert this week; and the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security sent out a public warning about the drug last month.
The drug has never been approved for use in humans.
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.
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.
Cychlorphine is not detectable through fentanyl test strips, but Narcan is still believed to be effective at treating an overdose caused by it.
When reached for comment, the Drug Enforcement Administration said in a statement to The Hill, "In April 2024, N-propionitrile chlorphine was first reported in Florida by a DEA laboratory. Through the end of February 2026, DEA laboratories have identified this substance in 22 samples."
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