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The opioid crisis evolves faster and faster these days. One new example is cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid. Officials in East Tennessee linked this drug to 41 deaths so far. Plus, it has also spread far beyond this epicenter. Even though states like Tennessee have many options for those impacted by narcotics, from inpatient care to …
Cychlorphine Kills 41 in Tennessee and Spreads to New States
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The opioid crisis evolves faster and faster these days. One new example is cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid. Officials in East Tennessee linked this drug to 41 deaths so far. Plus, it has also spread far beyond this epicenter.
Even though states like Tennessee have many options for those impacted by narcotics, from inpatient care to Narcotics Anonymous chapters dotting the landscape, new street drugs continue to hurt millions of people. For anyone following fentanyl’s path through the drug supply, the pattern is uncomfortably familiar.
The Opioid Crisis Takes a New Turn
The Knox County Regional Forensic Center announced that cychlorphine, also known as N-Propionitrile Chlorphine, appeared in toxicology findings from 41 deaths from July 2025 to February 2026 in 11 Tennessee counties: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, McMinn, Roane, Sevier and Union.
Cychlorphine is up to 10x deadlier than fentanyl and isn’t approved for human use. Orphnies are frequently mixed with other illicit drugs. The state’s Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab found 11 drug submissions testing positive for cychlorphine in 2025 and nine more in January 2026, all from East Tennessee agencies.
Standard Testing Misses It
Fentanyl test strips don’t detect cychlorphine by themselves. It usually takes a specialized lab specifically to find it. Knox County Regional Forensic Center director Chris Thomas noted that the synthetic opioid has probably been in the streets a lot longer than anyone knows.
“We don’t know if it’s contained to a limited supply or one bad batch, or if it’s representative of a longer-term shift in the drug supply. That’s what is really concerning.”
Coroner Naida Rutherford in South Carolina agrees. She described the same situation after her state logged its first detection.
New Locations
Detections now reach well past Tennessee. The compound has been confirmed in eight cases in Ohio and in Louisiana‘s Caddo, DeSoto and Ouachita parishes.
Cychlorphine probably originated in China in 2024. It went through Europe and reached Florida, all within a year. The CDC listed it to the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System in 2025.
Synthetic opioids make up 60% of all U.S. overdose deaths. Fentanyl itself killed 48,000 people in 2024. Every few years a new drug pops up that’s stronger. Cychlorphine is the latest one.
About Cychlorphine
Cychlorphine has no medical purpose. Overdose signs are the classic symptoms for opioids. Folks show slowed or stopped breathing, blue or gray lips and skin, pinpoint pupils, and unresponsiveness.
The countermeasures are those that already work, but used more aggressively. Since a cychlorphine overdose is stronger than a fentanyl one, multiple naloxone doses may be required, and call emergency help right away.
Peer support through NA meetings adds a layer of security. Meetings don’t cost anything and take place in every state and online.
Simply look through our free and searchable directory to find an NA chapter in any location. Feel free to also dial 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to chat with an expert about local treatment.
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