The United States announced Wednesday that it will designate xylazine, nicknamed “tranq,” an “emerging threat.” “C’est la première fois dans l’histoire de notre nation qu’une substance est désignée comme menace émergente”, declared by the press conference Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the bureau de la lutte contre les druges à the White House.
“Xylazine represents the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced,” the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) previously said.
· What is xylazine or “tranq”?
Xylazine “is a non-opioid agent” originally approved “in 1972 as a sedative and analgesic for use in veterinary medicine,” or for animals, explains the FDA (US Drug Administration). And there are no “approved uses of xylazine for humans.”
Its dangerousness comes from the diversion of its use as a drug, known under the name of “tranq” or “tranq dope”, or shortcuts of the term “tranquilizer”, explains the New York Times. The term “zombie drug” is also used because xylazine puts users into a torpid state.
It is not clear when this pain reliever became a drug. Its diversion appears to have begun in the early 2000s in Puerto Rico, where it is known as “horse anesthesia,” reports Substance Use Philly, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania drug prevention association.
· Why did it become a drug?
The use of xylazine is not done alone, it is mixed with opioids.
“Studies show that people exposed to xylazine often knowingly or unknowingly used it in combination with other drugs, especially fentanyl,” a drug that has been wreaking havoc in the United States for several years, writes the National Institute of drug addiction.
Substance use Philly explains that the effect of fentanyl is very short-lived compared to other opioids, “xylazine can be added, at least in part, to prolong the effects.”
However, several organizations specify that people who consume xylazine are not necessarily aware that this product is part of the drug they buy, that fentanyl is cut with this drug without this being specified to consumers. .
· What are its dangers?
The list of effects of xylazine in humans is long: central nervous system depression, hypotension (sudden drop in blood pressure), hypothermia, creating dependency with periods of abstinence… It can slow breathing and heart rate to levels dangerous. .
But the most visible effects of consuming this substance can be read on the skin: repeated exposure can cause “severe skin necrosis” and ulcerations in various parts of the body that can cause limb amputation. Therefore, it is the black spots on the skin of consumers that most often indicate that they have ingested xylazine.
On the other hand, the narcotic effect of tranq can lead to a level of lethargy that can create dangers for the person taking the drug: they can be robbed or mugged in this period of time during which they are barely conscious.
Finally, the authorities warn of the lesser effectiveness of naloxone for people who suffer an overdose. This product is an opioid antagonist and “may restore normal breathing in a person whose breathing has slowed or stopped as a result of an overdose,” says the Canadian Center for Addiction and Mental Health.
But its effectiveness against a mixture composed of xylazine is uncertain, because “it is not known to be effective in reversing xylazine overdoses, since xylazine is not an opioid,” the FDA stresses.
· What impact in the United States?
Concern about the use of xylazine as a drug exists mostly in the United States, although other countries have noted the use of this product, such as Canada.
The DEA writes that it has already “seized mixtures of xylazine and fentanyl in 48 of the 50 states” in the United States, showing their spread across the country. “In 2022, approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine.”
Between 2020 and 2021, xylazine detection by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) increased by nearly 200% in the South and by more than 100% in the West.
· How to handle the situation?
The recent designation of this substance as an “emerging threat” should make it possible to use the funds requested by President Joe Biden from the United States Congress in his 2024 budget.
They will be used for further testing of the drug and analysis to better understand where it comes from, particularly if it is diverted into the United States or from China, to better combat its growing presence in the illegal market.
“We will bring together national experts in the field to guide practices and identify the most promising approaches for clinical stabilization, withdrawal management, and treatment protocols,” Rahul Gupta also detailed on Wednesday. Also, “we need an antidote,” which does not exist to date, he added.
In February, the US health authorities had launched an “import alert” to better control deliveries of xylazine, to ensure that they are indeed intended for veterinary use.
Source: BFM TV
