New deadly opioid found in Arkansas even as fatal overdoses fall
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Fatal drug overdoses are declining in Arkansas, but officials are sounding the alarm about powerful synthetic opioids and methamphetamine.
Why it matters: Even as overdose deaths decline, Arkansas is confronting deaths from new synthetic opioids and a persistent methamphetamine problem, particularly among adults 35 and older.
The latest: Cychlorphine, a highly potent synthetic opioid, has shown up in Arkansas this year.
- The state recorded two cychlorphine-related overdose deaths in the first half of 2026, including one death in central Arkansas and one in southwest Arkansas, state drug director Thomas Fisher told Axios.
- The drug also appeared in two other cases where drugs were analyzed for prosecution purposes.
What they're saying: Cychlorphine isn't novel, as it's not the first deadly synthetic drug even more powerful than fentanyl to appear in illicit drugs. But "once is enough to sound the alarm," Fisher said.
- The presence of carfentanil, which is used in veterinary medicine to sedate large animals like rhinoceroses, is just as much of a red flag, he said. The drug was involved in four fatal overdoses this year, all in central Arkansas.
By the numbers: Arkansas had 365 confirmed drug overdose deaths in 2025, down from 438 in 2023. The data excludes deaths solely from alcohol poisoning.
Zoom out: While officials have emphasized preventing drug use in young people, such as through college campus initiatives, more public awareness and treatment options are needed to address drug use in people 35 and older, who accounted for 78% of fatal drug overdoses in 2025, Fisher said.
- The kinds of drugs driving fatal overdoses differ by age demographics in Arkansas.
- In 2025, fentanyl was involved in 41% of fatal overdoses in people younger than 35 compared to 21% of fatal overdoses in people 35 and older. Methamphetamine was involved in 53% of fatal overdoses in people 35 and older compared to 35% in people under 35.
What's pressed into one illicit pill can kill someone. If you suspect someone is experiencing an opioid overdose, call 911 immediately. Administer naloxone if it's available.