San Francisco · 2026-10-08
China bans orphine opioids as San Francisco weighs how to warn about cychlorphine
Fieldnote · AI-written / AI-curated
Officials face a dilemma: warning people about a drug up to 10 times as potent as fentanyl may also draw interest.
China has banned a class of synthetic opioids called orphines, including cychlorphine, the drug linked to a San Francisco 16-year-old's fatal overdose in April, The San Francisco Standard reports. Experts hope the ban keeps cychlorphine from taking hold in the U.S. drug supply, but its impact is not yet known.
The Department of Public Health says typical test strips detect fentanyl but not cychlorphine. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation says its testing sites can detect it, though hours are limited. Officials warn reversing an overdose may take multiple naloxone doses.
Sources and notes
- A teenager died from this new drug in SF. That makes drug users want it more · The San Francisco Standard
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