KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – A newly identified synthetic opioid, N-Propionitrile Chlorphine, has been linked to at least 41 deaths in East Tennessee, as experts nationwide warn that it has increasingly been associated with overdoses in recent months.
Also known as cychlorphine, the drug was first identified in a laboratory less than two years ago. According to the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education, it is believed to be up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl.
Since mid-2025, authorities have connected the drug to a rising number of overdose deaths. Toxicology reports identified it in at least 41 fatalities across eleven Tennessee counties between July 2025 and February 2026.
“We don’t know whether it’s limited to a specific supply or a single bad batch, or if it signals a broader shift in the drug market. That uncertainty is what makes it especially concerning,” said Chris Thomas, chief administrative officer and director of Knox County RFC.
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Since October 2024, toxicology reports have also detected the opioid in California, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas, according to a January update from the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education. In March, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics confirmed its presence in that state as well.
The substance is frequently found alongside other drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine.
“Cychlorphine represents a dangerous evolution in the opioid crisis,” said Dr. Rachel Wirginis, an addiction and family medicine physician at the Oklahoma State University Addiction Recovery Clinic in Tulsa. “We are encountering increasingly potent synthetic opioids that demand rapid identification and aggressive intervention to prevent fatal outcomes.”
“It has never been more dangerous to use street-level drugs than it is now,” Thomas added.
Initially, the Forensic Center believed the drug reached Tennessee in November 2025. However, officials now suspect it may have entered the region as early as last summer.
Some experts believe the substance originated in China before spreading to Europe, according to the Forensic Center.
On Friday, Feb. 20, the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security announced that cychlorphine had been detected in the central Bluegrass region and was already contributing to overdose deaths in eastern Tennessee.
Thomas noted that Knox County RFC and several Tennessee agencies actively test for the substance, while many other states currently do not. He expects testing to expand nationwide.
“People often say Knox County has a severe drug problem, but that’s not entirely accurate—we have the most advanced surveillance,” Thomas said.
Experts at Oklahoma State say naloxone, also known as Narcan, can still reverse overdoses caused by this synthetic opioid. When administered quickly, the medication can save lives.
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