KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WZTV) — A newly identified synthetic opioid has been linked to at least 16 overdose deaths in East Tennessee, according to preliminary toxicology tests from the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.

Officials say the drug, N-propionitrile chlorphine, also known as cychlorphine, appeared in nine overdose deaths between late October and December. As of mid-January, the substance had been associated with seven additional deaths.

Authorities say the drug has been detected primarily in cases where other substances were present, including methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Chris Thomas, chief administrative officer and director of the Knox County Regional Forensic Center, said the drug has been appearing more frequently in toxicology reports, though officials are still working to understand how widely it has spread.

“It’s showing up at an exponential rate and at this point, we don’t know if it’s a single batch and done with or if it’s the new future,” Thomas said.

Initial cases were identified in Knox County before spreading to several nearby counties, including Roane, McMinn, Campbell, Union, Anderson, Claiborne, and Sevier counties, according to forensic officials.

Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan, the center’s chief medical examiner, said cychlorphine is not approved for clinical use and has never been authorized for sale on the medical market.

“This isn’t a drug that has been approved for clinical use, and it’s never been clinically approved to be sold on the market,” said Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan, chief medical examiner at Knox County Regional Forensic Center. “We do know it’s more powerful than fentanyl and that naloxone, or Narcan, does not completely block the effects of the drug and multiple doses may be needed to prevent an overdose.”

She said early findings suggest the substance may be more potent than fentanyl. Mileusnic-Polchan also said naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, may require multiple doses to counteract overdoses involving the drug.

Researchers say cychlorphine is part of a group known as new synthetic opioids, or NSOs, laboratory-made opioids that differ structurally from fentanyl and its analogues.

According to the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education, the drug may have first appeared in China in 2024 before spreading to Europe, Canada, and the United States by mid-2025.

The Knox County Regional Forensic Center first identified the substance in Tennessee in late November 2025 after it appeared in an overdose death in Roane County. Investigators later determined an earlier case in Knox County dated back to October.

Officials say the findings remain preliminary as investigators continue to study the substance and its role in overdose deaths.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee touted the state’s numerous economic achievements in his final annual Governor’s Address hosted by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, as he prepares to retire next year.

On stage at The Pinnacle March 10, Lee praised his administration’s work over the past seven years to lower poverty rates and expand industrial and economic diversity in the state.

But he pointed out that he has a lot to look forward to after leaving public office, namely his large family.

“It’s the best part of my life,” he said, chuckling. “People often ask me what I’m going to do next. And I say, ‘Well I have 11 grandchildren.’”

Lee emphasized Tennessee’s declining poverty rates, increasing educational scores and ability to attract a plethora of high-paying businesses as wins during his administration.

“We’ve watched our poverty rate fall below the national average for the first time in the state’s history,” he said. “People in Tennessee have greater access to opportunity than they ever have before.”

The number of economically distressed counties were “cut in half” in the last few years, thanks to increasing business opportunities, he said. “Distressed counties” is a designation of the nation’s poorest regions, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission.

“Our economy has attracted $55 billion in investment — just $11 billion this past year,” he said. “300,000 jobs created in our state in the last seven years.”

Lee called out companies like Starbucks, which announced on March 3 that the company’s southeastern U.S. corporate office is coming to Davidson County; In-n-Out, which is currently establishing a $125 million corporate hub in Franklin; software company Oracle, which is building a global headquarters on Nashville’s East Bank; Elon Musk’s xAi; Ford and more as drivers of prosperity in the state.

“They’ve figured out that the business environment is here, and the culture is what they want for their people, and the opportunity exists for them to be more successful in our state than they might be across the country,” he said.

He also praised the Music City Loop, the privately funded tunneling project helmed by Musk’s The Boring Company to connect Nashville International Airport to the Tennessee State Capitol Building. Despite recent Metro Nashville opposition, Lee called the project an “innovative new transportation model to “move people…without charging taxpayer dollars.”

“It’s very exciting to me what they might [represent] for the future of transportation in our city and beyond,” he said. “Despite the political arguments about that, the pragmatic business argument for that is incredibly exciting.”

Lee closed the speech thanking business leaders for their support during the past seven years of his administration.

“I could brag about this state for hours,” he said. “Because I’ve come to know her people, I’ve come to know her communities, her leaders, her uniqueness and her prominence, and I have been awed by what I’ve come to know in the past seven years. And I am honored. It’s been the highest honor of my life to be in the spot I am in.

“Our best days are ahead of us,” he said. “There will be a future governor that can (bring) better statistics, and better opportunity, and more hope for our people. And that makes me happy. There will be more, and there will be greater, and we together will share in what that looks like.”

Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Cooper Bowser had 21 points and 11 rebounds as No. 6 seed Furman beat top-seeded East Tennessee State 76-61 on Monday night to secure the Southern Conference tournament title and an NCAA tournament bid.

Furman (22-12) won its eighth SoCon title in program history and first since defeating Chattanooga in 2023.

Tom House added 13 points off the bench for Furman and Alex Wilkins, who scored a career-high 34 to help rally from an 11-point halftime deficit in the semifinals, scored 12. Bowser was 9-of-12 from the field to help the Paladins shoot 51%.

Brian Taylor II scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half for ETSU (23-11), which was in the title game for the second time in three seasons. Blake Barkley added 14 points and Jaylen Smith had 10.

House made Furman’s sixth 3-pointer of the first half to extend the lead to 37-27 with four minutes left. The Paladins led 42-35 at the break.

Wilkins’ steal and fast-break dunk extended Furman’s lead to 72-61 with 2:11 left and Bowser added a hook shot in the lane on their next possession for a 13-point lead.

ETSU went 2-of-7 from the field over the final five minutes to halt a comeback attempt. The Buccaneers finished 3-of-16 from 3-point range and 10 of 18 at the free throw line.

The Buccaneers were trying for their first NCAA bid since 2020.