LANCASTER, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – A drug called Xylazine, or “tranq dope” or “zombie drug,” is hitting the street and no known antidote is available.
Lancaster Sheriff’s Office Official Release:
Xylazine, a pharmaceutical product also known as “Tranq”, has been increasingly detected in drug testing across the country including toxicology reports obtained by the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office in drug overdose deaths. Xylazine has not been classified as a controlled substance by the federal government. It is not an opioid. It is a sedative, an analgesic, and a muscle relaxant approved for use in the United States for veterinary purposes. It has not been approved for human use. It is sold in liquid and powder form and in preloaded syringes for injection at a concentration appropriate for the size and weight of the animal.
Xylazine is showing up in human toxicology reports because it is used as an adulterant or cutting agent for other illegal drugs such as fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. It is used as a cutting agent because it is not a controlled substance and it is relatively cheap. It, too, has psychoactive effects which are longer lasting than those of fentanyl and heroin alone. These properties allow illegal drug distributors to reduce the amount of fentanyl or heroin in a mixture and increase profits from drug sales.
Negative effects from Xylazine use include respiratory depression, reduced heart rate, tachycardia followed by hypotension and bradycardia, hypertension, and coma. In combination with fentanyl, heroin, or other drugs, Xylazine can further reduce already decreased respiratory function. Injection of Xylazine can cause soft tissue injuries leading to rotting tissue and amputation.
Because Xylazine is not an opioid, the administration of naloxone or Narcan does not reverse the effects of Xylazine. There is no approved antidote for Zylazine. Narcan should be administered for a suspected opioid overdose and will counter the effects of the opioid in a mixture of drugs, but additional emergency care will likely be needed if Xylazine has been taken. First responders will not know if Xylazine has been taken unless the patient or others on scene know and tell them. It is probable that few end users intend to take Xylazine or even know they did since it is most commonly used as a profitable cutting agent.
The United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration recently released a public safety alert concerning the dangers of Xylazine, and Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile shares those concerns. “Taking illicit drugs bought off someone in the community is not like taking an approved drug prescribed by a doctor with a precise dosage and dispensed by a pharmacist,” said Sheriff Barry Faile. “First of all, it’s a crime. We devote countless resources investigating drug offenses and arresting offenders, and we will continue to do so. Secondly, taking street drugs is dangerous and often deadly. You might think you know what the drug is, but you might be wrong. And you’ll never know what’s mixed in with the drug you think you’re taking. The best way to avoid being the subject of an overdose call and maybe an overdose death is to not take illicit drugs.”
Anyone with information about any case should call the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at 803-283-3388 and select Option 4 or submit a tip in one of the following ways: use the link www.p3tips.com/983 or download the P3Tips mobile app available for both Apple and Android devices. Crime tips may be made anonymously.
