Toronto Faces Rising Concerns Over New Synthetic Opioid Found in Street Drugs
A concerning development has emerged in Toronto’s drug landscape with the detection of a new synthetic opioid known as cychlorphine in street drugs. This discovery has raised alarms about potential increases in overdoses within the city.
The drug, cychlorphine, was first identified in the unregulated drug supply of Toronto approximately six weeks ago. Karen McDonald from Toronto’s Drug Checking Service revealed that this designer opioid has since been found in multiple samples collected from both the downtown core and the west end of the city.
Describing cychlorphine as a synthetic opioid originally developed for pain relief but never approved for clinical use, McDonald highlighted the risks associated with encountering a new and poorly understood substance in street drugs.
The Drug Checking Service, in collaboration with community agencies and safe consumption sites, has been providing free laboratory drug screening since 2019 to monitor the composition of street drugs and educate the public on potential risks. However, recent challenges, including the defunding of harm reduction efforts by the government, have impacted their ability to collect samples effectively.
With the closure of supervised consumption sites and the subsequent decrease in sample collection, there is growing uncertainty surrounding the potency and effects of cychlorphine. McDonald emphasized the dangerous unpredictability of Toronto’s contaminated drug supply, emphasizing the urgent need for information and safeguards to protect individuals from harm.
Despite these obstacles, the drug-checking service’s reach has expanded to Peterborough and Kingston, with plans for further expansion across Ontario in the coming years, supported by Health Canada.