In late August, Whitehorse harm reduction advocates issued alerts over a recent increase in overdoses linked to cychlorphine, a powerful synthetic opioid. In her interview with CBC News, Jill Aalhus, executive director with Blood Ties Four Directions, says the drug has been known to cause symptoms atypical for opioid overdoses, such as nausea and vomiting.
“Our supervised consumption site has responded to a number of severe overdoses that occurred more rapidly than we typically see,” she said. “This is a very concerning substance.” Moreover, researchers from the non-profit One Yukon Coalition, which monitors wastewater across the territory, confirmed that cychlorphine was first detected in Whitehorse in June. The drug was first identified in Canada in the fall of 2025 and has since been associated with several severe overdoses and deaths in the United States.
According to Aalhus, the staff at Blood Ties are trained in life support and airway management, allowing them to quickly provide naloxone and oxygen during an overdose. However, she says serious overdoses are also being reported in settings where these potentially life-saving resources may not be as readily accessible. She also noted that the ongoing situation is also having a significant emotional impact on those affected.
Furthermore, Yukon’s Chief Coroner Heather Jones told CBC News she was “very concerned about the toxicity of substances that are currently in the community,” adding that more information would be released in the coming days. People who use drugs may have difficulty knowing whether their supply contains cychlorphine, as current drug-testing equipment is not yet able to reliably identify newer substances like it, according to Carolina Koutras, a health researcher and chief operating officer at One Yukon.
In her interview with CBC News, Koutras said that wastewater monitoring can, therefore, play an important role in detecting emerging drugs and alerting the public, harm reduction organizations such as Blood Ties, and public health authorities.
However, the rapid emergence of new substances is making surveillance increasingly challenging. One Yukon has had to expand its testing capabilities regularly, adding tests for one or two new opioids nearly every month. Koutras also noted that it is still too early to determine whether cychlorphine use is increasing in Whitehorse.
One Yukon began testing for cychlorphine as a precaution after observing emerging drug trends in the United States. Koutras said the organization was surprised to discover that the substance had already made its way to Whitehorse. However, the drug has been consistently detected in the city’s wastewater every week since it was first identified in late June, shortly after reports emerged of its presence in British Columbia. “It’s very, very concerning to see substances that we’re not seeing elsewhere in Canada necessarily, but we’re seeing it in the North,” she said.
