A dangerous veterinary tranquilizer known as Tranq, or xylazine, is rapidly spreading through Los Angeles, posing a significant threat to the city’s homeless population. Public health experts and federal agents are alarmed by the rise in overdoses and gruesome injuries linked to the drug, especially when mixed with fentanyl. Often referred to as the “zombie drug,” xylazine was originally developed as an animal sedative but is now trafficked into the U.S. and laced into street fentanyl. This combination causes flesh-rotting abscesses and puts users in a semi-conscious, trance-like state.
According to KTLA, Dr. Joseph Friedman of the University of California, San Diego, who has led studies on xylazine’s emergence, warns that standard overdose treatments like Narcan are ineffective against it since it is not an opioid. In downtown L.A.’s Skid Row, users report severe physical effects after just a few days of use. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have intercepted large quantities of narcotics this year, with xylazine appearing in troubling amounts.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that xylazine is a central nervous system depressant, causing drowsiness and dangerously low heart rates. It is often mixed with opioids like fentanyl to enhance their effects. Although xylazine itself is not an opioid, it can cause extreme sedation, leading to respiratory failure.
The DEA has reported a sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine, with seizures in 48 states. The combination poses a higher risk of fatal drug poisoning, and users can develop severe wounds, including necrosis. Despite these risks, the drug continues to spread, particularly affecting vulnerable populations like those on Skid Row.
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