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News


FLESH-ROTTING ‘ZOMBIE DRUG’ ON THE RISE IN NYC, LOCAL OFFICIALS WARN

By Larry Celona and Isabel Keane

May 15, 2023 | 2:29pm

New York City officials have issued a dire warning about the rise of a “zombie
drug” that can have appalling effects on users — including eating away at their
flesh — as cities across the nation grapple with the horrifying narcotic’s
spread.


MORE ON: DRUGS


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 * YES: THIS IS THE MOST LAWLESS GOTHAM’S EVER BEEN

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The animal tranquilizer xylazine — also known as “tranq” — can create a
catastrophic reaction when mixed with other drugs like heroin, cocaine or
fentanyl, sometimes causing users’ skin and muscle to begin rotting away,
according to authorities.

“Xylazine is a huge problem for the entire country,” said Frank Tarentino, who
heads the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York division.

“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug we have ever faced. When you add xylazine, it
becomes even deadlier.”

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Authorities in New York, as well as other major cities like Los Angeles, have
reported an increase in the presence of the xylazine, which is often used to cut
other drugs like heroin and cocaine because it is incredibly cheap.

Cutting drugs with the tranquilizer — which is used legally for horses, cattle
and other animals — is even cheaper than fentanyl, allowing drug dealers to
increase their profit margin, according to Tarentino.

While mixing it with other drugs creates a more intense, long-lasting high, it
also puts drug users at a greater risk.

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Authorities in New York and other major cities are racing to try and stop people
from using the drug. Sky News

One of the most terrifying components of xylazine is that its effects cannot be
reversed using Narcan.

“Since xylazine is a sedative, muscle relaxer naloxone (known as Narcan) does
not work to reverse its effects,” Tarentino told The Post.

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“The American public has no idea what they are getting when they buy street
drugs. The percentage of street drugs that have fentanyl is extremely high, and
the percentage of xylazine is growing,” Tarentino said.

Mixing xylazine with other illegal drugs puts users at a greater risk of death.
Stephen Yang

Officials have tracked the drug in unintentional overdoses since at least fall
2020.

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Overdose deaths involving xylazine increased by 36% between January and October
2022 from the same time period in 2021, according to a press release from the
Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York.

In 2021, 19% of opioid-involved overdose deaths involved xylazine, according to
data from the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Last month the Biden Administration deemed fentanyl mixed with xylazine as an
emerging threat to the United States, utilizing the designation for the first
time since it passed Congress in 2018.Stephen Yang

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Last year, nearly 1,000 pounds of powdered fentanyl and drug mixtures containing
fentanyl and/or heroin were confiscated in cases handled by the special
narcotics prosecutor’s office, the NYPD and other agencies.

There were also 950,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and other
substances, such as xylazine, seized that year, marking an increase of more than
425% from 2021.

In 2022, roughly 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the
DEA nationwide contained xylazine. During just this Calendar year, nearly 15% of
all DEA seizures found xylazine.

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Overdose deaths involving xylazine have increased in recent years. Stephen Yang

The majority — a whopping 75% of DEA exhibits containing xylazine — were
obtained from the New York City metropolitan region, including New York, New
Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, officials said.

The DEA issued a public safety warning in March saying it had seized xylazine
and fentanyl mixtures in 48 out of 50 states, excluding South Dakota and
Wyoming.

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Last month, the Biden administration deemed fentanyl mixed with xylazine as an
emerging threat to the US.

Xylazine has been found in 48 out of 50 states. randlab.com
What do you think? Post a comment.

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“As a physician, I am deeply troubled about the devastating impact of the
fentanyl-xylazine combination, and as President Biden’s drug policy advisor, I
am immensely concerned about what this threat means for the Nation,” said Dr.
Rahul Gupta, the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy.

The rapid spread of tranq also comes as 72 million lethal doses of fentanyl were
seized in New York state in 2022, though the total DEA haul came to 1.9 million
fentanyl-laced prescription pills and 1,958 pounds of fentanyl across the state,
officials said earlier this year.


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Filed under dea ,  drugs ,  fentanyl ,  new york ,  new york city ,  5/15/23
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