Is Scary New Dangerous “Zombie Drug” Coming To New York Soon?

According to a new report, use of a zombie drug has increased significantly in areas near New York. Millennium Health Signals Report released its findings, published in September 2023. The dangerous and deadly drug, Xylazine, also known on the streets as “tranq," has increased the Mid-Atlantic region.

What Is Xylazine, Also Known As, Tranq?

Xylazine is a dangerous drug that causes horrific injuries to users, including necrosis, amputations, and ultimately, death. According to Millennium Health Signals,

Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is a powerful, non-opioid, veterinary tranquilizer that is not approved for human use. Similar to clonidine in structure and action, xylazine produces marked sedation, muscle relaxation, and potentially dangerous reductions in heart rate and blood pressure. Withdrawal symptoms and severe skin ulcers and abscesses may also emerge with repeated use.

 

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Why Is Tranq A Potential Threat To New York State?

The Millennium Health Signals Report says that the state with the most Xylazine Detection in Fentanyl-Positive Specimens is Pennsylvania, next door neighbor to New York. The Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes New York has a 40 percent Fentanyl-Positive Specimens in Pennsylvania. Currently, New York is not among the 25 top states, but it may not be long before it does with the clear tranq epidemic in Pennsylvania and our region.

According to the DEA, tranq use has increased in the Northeast region. From 2020 to 2021, it increased by 103%.

The expanded use of xylazine as an adulterant may be driven in part by its low cost and lower risk of law enforcement scrutiny as it is not a controlled substance. Moreover, its addition to fentanyl can increase the profit for traffickers and attract additional customers.

 

New York Woman Arrested For Allegedly Trafficking Tranq

On September 7, 2023, a Bronx, New York, woman was charged with trafficking the dangerous drug that was combined with methamphetamine and fentanyl combined with xylazine. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, she was allegedly moving the narcotics from New York to New Hampshire. Sanchez Lugo is accused of distributing a 200-gram mixture of fentanyl, heroin, and xylazine, and 55 grams of meth on June 14, 2023.

Xylazine and fentanyl drug mixtures place users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning. People who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine also can develop severe wounds, including necrosis—the rotting of human tissue—that may lead to amputation. The combination is referred to on the street as the zombie drug.'

The DEA has issued a report with tranq being named a drug of concern. Xylazine is frequently combined with other synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which increases the risk of fatal overdoses, according to the DEA. There is no approved Antidote for tranq in humans and naloxone does not reverse the drug's effects.

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