A new, more potent synthetic opioid, cychlorphine, has been detected in the illicit drug supply in several states and countries. Unlike fentanyl or nitazenes, it is a different chemical family and can be synthesized using common industrial chemicals, making it even harder for authorities to track or restrict it. This development is not surprising as it follows a pattern of the increasing shift from prescription pain pills to stronger, cheaper, more dangerous drugs. The article suggests that cy chlorphine may not be the last or most potent new opioid to emerge from the cat-and-match game between drug prohibition and illicit innovation. The author suggests that the harder the enforcement efforts taken to control the drug, rather than ending the battle with fentanyl, may lead to a new generation of synthetic opioids. The law of prohibition, Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer and Josh Bloom, both of whom practice general surgery in Phoenix, argue that the hard-enforced approach to drug regulation will continue to erode.