Cychlorphine in Arkansas: What to Know and What to Do

By Emalee Powell

69,973 people died in the United States from an overdose in 2025. Arkansas is ranked #2 in the nation for drug use. Arkansas has several main highways that are highly trafficked for drug transportation and distribution. Interstate 30 and Interstate 40, a familiar road to many University of Arkansas students, are some of the nation’s most critical cross-country highways. As recently as Oct. 2, 2026, I-40 highway police intercepted at least 560 pounds of drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and mushrooms.

At least 55 of those 69,973 deaths have been attributed to cychlorphine, with most occurring in the Midwest and South. In Arkansas, one person has already died from cychlorphine.

Brittany Kelly, founding director of Northwest Arkansas Harm Reduction, offered her perspective on cychlorphine in Arkansas. 

“So far, we aren’t hearing reports of cychlorphine from the people we serve locally,” she said. “With reports emerging in states around us, however, it’s something we’re continuing to watch closely in Arkansas.”

Dr. Mance Buttram, a U of A professor who researches substance use, clarified that an overdose on cychlorphine can slow or stop breathing entirely.

States with the largest number of confirmed overdoses are Texas, Tennessee, Illinois, Arkansas and South Carolina. In Tennessee alone, 41 deaths are now linked to cychlorphine. 

As of now, there are no verifiable cychlorphine-related overdoses on college campuses. 

What is cychlorphine?

Cychlorphine is a synthetic opioid that could be up to 10 times as strong as fentanyl. To put that into perspective, a lethal dose of fentanyl is 2 milligrams or 5-7 grains of salt. This can fit on the tip of a pencil.

This drug is not yet recognized as a threat by the wider population, but this might be a false sense of security.

Kelly advised caution in the community even if someone uses a test strip – a small paper that can identify if a drug is in the tested substance.

“A negative result does not mean a substance is completely safe or that it contains only what you expect,” she said. “Test strips can only detect what they are designed to test for.”

Additionally, traditional hospital screening records have a difficult time detecting the drug, meaning that life-saving treatment is often delayed. 

Outside of hospital settings, overdoses of cychlorphine might require multiple doses of Naloxone (NARCAN) – an opioid that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Buttram warns that cychlorphine can appear in counterfeit prescription medications. These seemingly real drugs are produced by modern pill mills – illegal clinics or operations that distribute controlled substances without a prescription. Sometimes, these locations are actual doctors’ offices that excessively prescribe medications, such as opioids, unnecessarily. 

These pills can be laced with substances such as fentanyl to encourage addiction and financial gain.

To prevent overdose, Kelly encouraged everyone in Northwest Arkansas to only take their prescribed medications that are directly from a pharmacy.

“Like fentanyl and other potent synthetic opioids,” Kelly said, “cychlorphine may be present in substances without someone knowing it.”

It is often mixed into other drugs. Someone can consume cychlorphine without knowing it.

Jennifer Morris, program director of Substance Education Assessment Resources, shared her expertise.

“Oftentimes, it is laced in a pill or, in fact, the only substance in the pill, even if the pill is advertised as another substance such as oxytocin, xanax, or oxycodone,” she said.

Cychlorphine is commonly found with benzodiazepines – including commonly known medications like Xanax, Ativan, Valium and Klonopin.

Still, Kelly and NWAHR fight to destigmatize drug use in Arkansas and recognize that it’s not always easy to avoid. If you are using drugs, Kelly shares, do it as safely as possible.

“Always use with extreme caution, start low, go slow, and never use alone,” she said.

NWAHR offers free naloxone and fentanyl testing strips through 479-553-9459, delivered by a driver or by mail.

The most important thing a person can do is have a plan.

Morris said that the best plan is to immediately call 911 and administer naloxone.

“[Cychlorphine overdoses] require more doses of Naloxone than typical opioid overdoses,” Morris warned.

Because cychlorphine is up to ten times more potent than fentanyl, Narcan will likely need to be delivered multiple times to effectively reverse an overdose. However, it does still work.

The U of A campus provides Narcan kits at various locations. It is on every floor of every university building, next to the AED and fire extinguisher. 

In the Pat Walker Health Center, there is a 24/7 Narcan vending machine just inside the entrance at the corner of Maple and Garland Street. To get Narcan, a student needs to enter their ZIP code and fill out a voucher form in the bin beside the vending machine.

Additionally, students can find Narcan in the Wellness Lounge on the second floor of Pat Walker.

SEAR regularly hosts NARCAN training sessions, which one can register for on Hogsync. If someone is not comfortable attending a session in person, Arkansas offers the NARCANsas app with information and instructions regarding opioid overdoses and treatment.   

“Test what you can, carry naloxone, avoid using alone and have a plan for responding to an overdose,” Kelly said.