The Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition has issued an overdose alert following a surge in suspected overdose deaths over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
The agency says there were 10 suspected overdose deaths between Wednesday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 26. Those includes four deaths on Saturday, and another five overdose related emergency department visits on Monday.
"We issued an alert because we had (10) suspected overdose deaths between Wednesday and Tuesday, which is a very high volume, and then we had five overdose-related emergency runs. These are folks that did not die but did overdose," Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, who serves as executive chair of the Coalition steering committee, tells WVXU.
According to the alert, current trends suggest the potency level of the local drug supply has changed, though it's unclear what substances contributed to the deaths. Fentanyl, potent fentanyl analogues, and other synthetic opioids can increase the risk of an overdose.
Driehaus says the data shows the suspected overdoses are occurring in clusters, which suggests something different is happening in the drug stream. What exactly that is will depend on the results of an investigation by the coroner's office.
"We don't know what exactly is happening, other than something is different about the drug supply. I could hypothesize and say there are different analogs, different drugs being mixed in that, but that's just a guess. I don't know it, but that would be something that would cause this kind of response," she says.
In April, authorities in Indiana announced a new, deadly, synthetic opioid known as cychlorphine had been found in the Midwest, prompting law enforcement and health officials to issue a public warning.
The Sheriff’s Office in Marion County, Indiana, said the new "designer drug" has been linked to a growing number of fatal overdoses in the region — including in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.
According to member station WFYI, the sheriff’s office advised that the compound N-propionitrile chlorphine, commonly referred to as cychlorphine, may look like a powder that is typically off-white, grey, or tan, or can be pressed into counterfeit pills. It can also be mixed into other drugs like heroin or methamphetamine.
Officials said the drug is far more potent than fentanyl and might not show up on standard fentanyl test strips.
Hamilton County authorities haven't said if the compound played a role in this surge.
Overdose deaths down overall
On the whole, overdose deaths in Hamilton County are continuing to trend downward. The Addiction Response Coalition's annual report released in March shows drug overdose deaths in 2025 dropped to their lowest point in more than a decade.
There were 194 overdose deaths in 2025, a 30% decrease from 2024, when there were 277 deaths reported, and a significant drop from the county's peak in 2017, when 570 overdose deaths were recorded.
The coalition credits the decline to its continued effort to address the crisis from all sides. The addiction response team brings together elected officials, educators, first responders, faith leaders, and treatment providers to build local infrastructure that can save lives and connect people with care, while reducing the stigma around addiction and drug treatment.
"We think it's the collaboration and the reduction of stigma, where people are actually talking about addiction in a way that they didn't used to, and so people are seeking resources and getting help that they need," Driehaus says.
The coalition reminds people that if you choose to do drugs, you should make sure someone is around to monitor you. Have naloxone on hand in case of an overdose. If you suspect an overdose, call 911 immediately. Naloxone, testing strips, or other overdose prevention supplies are available at Hamilton County Public Health or by calling 513-316-7725.
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