An Emerging Threat: Drug Mix Of Xylazine, Fentanyl
April 12, 2023 9:54AM PDT
FILE – Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, walks outside of the White House, Nov. 18, 2021, in Washington. The U.S. has named a veterinary tranquilizer as an “emerging threat” when it is mixed with the opioid fentanyl, clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of xylazine and develop an antidote. The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced the designation Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS) – The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy is designating the tranquilizer xylazine when mixed with fentanyl as an emerging threat.
The drug was approved for veterinary uses more than 50 years ago.
But recently, it’s been showing up in the supply of illicit drugs across the U.S., where it’s sometimes known as “tranq.”
It’s a depressant that can slow down users’ heart rates and breathing and cause skin ulcers and abscesses.
No antidote has been identified.
President Joe Biden’s top drug-control official says the designation clears the way to spend taxpayer money to develop strategies to deal with xylazine.
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