Cychlorphine is a new synthetic opiate that caused a teenage drug overdose death in San Francisco this past April. While there are currently no confirmed cases in Berkeley, drug enforcement officials are warning about the possibility of it appearing in the city.
The cause for alarm comes from the fact that cychlorphine is estimated to be up to ten times stronger than fentanyl, but does not show up on fentanyl test strips. According to a San Francisco Department of Public Health statement, “Even a fraction of a counterfeit pill can kill someone.”
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, there are no reported cases of cychlorphine in Berkeley.
“DEA cannot specifically say whether cychlorphine will appear in Berkeley, but it has made its way to the San Francisco Bay Area region and that is close enough to be alarmed,” said DEA San Francisco Field Division Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris in an email.
Beris said in the email that the DEA has observed cychlorphine in the form of “counterfeit M30 pills as well as methamphetamine” but stated it can be found in many other forms. M30s refer to blue pills sold as oxycodone or Percocet.
The fatal overdose in San Francisco occurred in April of this year. Following a months-long investigation, the SF Police Department made four arrests in connection with the overdose and seized 20,000 counterfeit pills as well as multiple firearms Sept. 8 and 9.
Cychlorphine was first detected by the DEA in Florida in April 2024. In the Bay Area, however, the drug is so new that it is technically legal, as no legislation yet restricts it.
Narcan, a brand of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, still works to stop an overdose from cychlorphine, but individuals may need multiple doses due to the drug’s potency.
“It’s a game of Russian Roulette,” Beris said in the email. “DEA San Francisco Field Division would like to remind students and everyone not to take any medications that have not been prescribed by your doctor or medical physician.”
The DEA runs the “One Pill Can Kill” campaign to illuminate the inherent dangers in taking any non-prescription medications, which can easily be laced with fentanyl or deadly doses of other opioids.
UC Berkeley students can pick up free naloxone at the University Health Services Pharmacy during open hours and at 102 Sproul Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.