Overview
- Tennessee authorities have linked N-Propionitrile chlorphine to 41 deaths across 11 counties in 2026.
- Early lab data indicate the drug, also called cychlorphine, may be about 10 times stronger than fentanyl, which means even tiny amounts can halt breathing.
- Toxicology labs have detected the compound in New York, California, Illinois, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas, with additional reports from other states and three Canadian provinces.
- The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education first documented the substance in mid-2024, classifying it within a newer group of synthetic opioids known as orphines.
- Forensic reports show frequent mixing with fentanyl or methamphetamine, and some clinicians report overdoses that require multiple doses of naloxone.