San Francisco Officials Warn About Dangerous New Opioid

Health officials in San Francisco are raising alarms after a potent synthetic opioid was found in the city for the first time, linked to a deadly overdose earlier this month.

The drug, called cyclofin, appeared as a counterfeit pill, alarming authorities due to its extreme strength and unpredictable presence in the illegal drug market.

“It seems to be more powerful than fentanyl. Some counterfeit pills are being circulated,” noted Daniel Tsai, the director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, speaking to ABC7.

Law enforcement mentioned that this substance was only identified last year.

Bob Bellis, the special agent in charge of the DEA San Francisco Field Division, shared that the first detection by the DEA happened in 2024 at a Florida lab. “A pill could travel from Chicago to San Francisco in just about 30 hours using major interstates,” he added.

Officials caution that cyclofin isn’t just found in pills; it can be mixed into various street drugs, complicating detection efforts.

“It could be integrated into pills, sold as a powder, or even mixed with cocaine,” Bellis explained. “Just because we haven’t encountered it in certain forms yet doesn’t mean it isn’t out there.” Many current drug testing tools are reportedly unable to identify this substance.

“Commercially available fentanyl test strips can’t detect it, so it’s crucial to avoid counterfeit pills altogether,” Dr. Philip Coffin, director of SFDPH’s Center on Drug Use and Health, emphasized to ABC.

Another concern is the potential for resistance to overdose reversal drugs like Narcan, which may need to be administered multiple times for effectiveness.

Community organizations are stepping up their efforts in response. Douglas Liu, executive director of Code Tenderloin, mentioned, “We’ve doubled the amount of Narcan distributed each night and are focused on educating the community about preventive care.”

The DEA and health officials are urging the public to stay away from counterfeit pills, as the illegal drug supply becomes increasingly dangerous.

This crisis is happening alongside other worrying trends in the national drug supply.

In New York City, officials have recently discovered two additional dangerous substances: carfentanil, a sedative used for elephants, and medetomidine, an even stronger tranquilizer than xylazine.

Authorities now see drug use as a public health issue rather than a moral one, promoting harm reduction efforts aimed at helping the most vulnerable and advocating for access to clean needles and community care as effective life-saving strategies.