DENVER, Colo. — A new synthetic opioid called cychlorphine is emerging in the U.S. illicit drug supply, and the DEA says it is 10 times more potent than fentanyl.
The Drug Enforcement Administration considers cychlorphine an emerging threat. Fatal overdoses are starting to be reported in the United States.
The DEA says cychlorphine was first spotted in the U.S. illicit drug supply in 2024. It is increasingly appearing in counterfeit prescription pills like Xanax, Percocet, and Adderall, and is being mixed with other illegal drugs like fentanyl.
Learn more about the worrying opiate in the player below
Because of its potency, cychlorphine can lead to severe and rapid respiratory and cardiovascular depression, causing death.
Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine. Mark Putnam, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's Rocky Mountain Field Division, says cychlorphine is 10 times stronger than fentanyl.
"It is roughly 10 times more potent than fentanyl, which is why we are so concerned about its potential use in adulterating or being mixed in with any other opiates," Putnam said.
Cychlorphine also requires more naloxone — also known as NARCAN — to reverse an overdose than other opioids.
"It requires - because of its potency, roughly 10-times more potent than fentanyl - it will require more naloxone, more NARCAN in order to reverse these effects," Putnam said.
The DEA says it has not yet detected cychlorphine in Colorado, but it has been reported in adjacent states.
"Absolutely we are concerned about it. It is an emerging drug threat. Just because we haven't seen it in Denver or the metro area, doesn't mean it hasn't arrived or that it's not already being utilized in the area. It is an emerging threat of concern," Putnam said.
Putnam says the threat cychlorphine poses is part of a broader pattern of increasingly dangerous drugs entering the U.S. drug supply.
"Absolutely. Fentanyl is far more potent than morphine, far more dangerous. We're seeing it in powder form. Pill form. We're seeing it threaten the United States. This poison is killing Americans and American lives," Putnam said.
Cychlorphine was originally developed as a pharmaceutical research compound in the 1960s.
The DEA urges the public not to take any pill that was not prescribed directly to them.
As of March 2026, the National Institutes of Health says at least 24 states have reported overdoses or deaths linked to cychlorphine, including a cluster of 19 confirmed deaths in East Tennessee, and detections in Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, California, and Texas, among others.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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