Hendrik Streeck, the federal government’s drug commissioner, has issued a warning about a newly identified designer drug known as cychlorphin, which has recently been detected in Germany.
According to Streeck, “synthetic opioids such as cychlorphin are extremely potent and life‑threatening”. He cautions that even the smallest dosing mistakes can be fatal and that the danger rises when these substances are mixed with other drugs-often without the users’ knowledge.
He urges swift action: “The emergence of such substances makes it clear that we urgently need a reliable monitoring and early‑warning system capable of spotting new developments quickly” he said to the “Rheinische Post”.
Streeck also stresses the importance of widespread availability of naloxone, an opioid antidote that can be lifesaving, and calls for a permanently and reliably funded assistance network. The prevalence of synthetic opioids in Germany is growing, and these compounds are many times stronger than heroin.