Kentucky Homeland Security warns of synthetic drug more potent than fentanyl detected in central Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security is warning the public about a synthetic drug detected in central Kentucky called cychlorphine, which the agency says is 10 times more potent than fentanyl.

First responders and healthcare workers are asked to use extreme caution when encountering any unknown substances. The warning has also put recovery workers on high alert.

Recovery workers respond

Staff at Recovery Cafe Lexington say the drug’s potency is not the only concern — limited available information about cychlorphine is also a factor.

“Everything gets stronger. Marijuana’s stronger than it used to be, crack is more addictive than cocaine, heroin users graduated to fentanyl users and so I’m not really that surprised to see something four to ten times stronger than fentanyl,” said Joshua Vanover, a recovery worker at Recovery Cafe Lexington.

Vanover said his own research into cychlorphine raised concerns that medications like Narcan may not be effective if someone is overdosing on the drug.

“Everybody that works here is trained in CPR. We can do everything that we can, but it is kind of daunting to know that we may not be able to help somebody or save somebody,” Vanover said.

Drug often mixed with other narcotics

The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security says cychlorphine is often mixed with other illegal narcotics, placing users at risk of accidental exposure.

Vanover said staff are working to inform people in recovery and those in active addiction about the drug’s dangers.

“Whenever I encounter that may be still using, to inform them that, ‘hey, there’s something else going around, narcan may not affect it,’ but its just something for people to be careful of. If you’re gonna use, use with somebody else; somebody that can call 911,” Vanover said.

The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security also advises first responders and healthcare professionals to treat all suspected cychlorphine-related overdoses as medical emergencies.

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