The DEA announced Monday it published a temporary order to put cyclopropyl fentanyl in the same category as heroin, cocaine and meth. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

The Drug Enforcement Administration is cracking down on the use of synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is more potent than heroin.

The DEA announced Monday it published a temporary order to put cyclopropyl fentanyl in the same category as heroin, cocaine and meth. Fentanyl is responsible for rising opioid deaths due to its potency.

The agency said the temporary order is needed to “avoid an imminent hazard to the public safety.”

The change makes fentanyl a Schedule I drug, and is considered to have no medical use. Previously, it was not on any DEA schedule. The agency puts drugs on a schedule of one to five, with one being the most serious.

Fentanyl has been used to treat severe pain, typically associated with cancer. But most of the recent cases of fentanyl overdoses are linked to illegally made versions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The death rate from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and tramadol increased by 72 percent from 2014 to 2015, CDC reported.

“Recent state reports have indicated that increases in synthetic opioid-involved deaths have been associated with the number of drug products obtained by law enforcement testing positive for fentanyl but not fentanyl prescribing rates,” the agency said.