‘Tranq’: What is the new deadly drug detected in the US that rots to the skin?

There is a new drug on the streets of the United States that worries the health authorities. It is called “Tranq”, because it is used as animal tranquilizerbut now more and more people mix it with street drugs like heroin and fentanyl and its effect is devastating: they are like zombies and they die.

It is an animal tranquilizer used by veterinarians since 1972, the xylazinebut which has now appeared in the streets and humble neighborhoods of the United States.

Traces of xylazine have been found four people who died in California between December 2022 and January 2023.

In addition to being called “Tranq”, xylazine is also known in street slang as “Tranq dope” or “Zombie drug”, and is already wreaking havoc major cities across the country with its devastating effects: it can literally rot the skin of a human being.

The substance, which first appeared in Philadelphia before migrating west to San Francisco and Los Angeles, it was used to cut heroinbut, more recently, it has been discovered in fentanyl and other illicit drugs.

Although approved by the Food and Drug Administration for veterinary use, xylazine -a non-opioid- it is not safe for humans and those who have overdosed on drugs they do not respond to naloxone or narcanthe most common overdose treatment.

Causes of Xylazine sedative-like symptomssuch as excessive sleepiness and respiratory depression, as well as raw wounds which can become severe and spread rapidly with repeated exposure. THE crusted ulcerswhich can develop into scaly skin and lead to amputation if left untreated.

Because it’s not listed as a controlled substance for animals or humans, “Tranq” falls into a confusing and horrific gray area, and hospitals they rarely test it with routine drug testing.

Illegal drug use is causing concern among government agenciesso much so that the US Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration released a joint intelligence report in October 2022.

A research note New York Post reports that last January a Philadelphia addict suddenly developed xylazine-specific wounds near his opioid injection sites. “I used to wake up crying in the morning because my arms were dying‘ Tracey McCann, 39, told that medium.

In that city the discovery of this situation has brought matters to a desperate situation. Authorities reported that the 90% of drug samples analyzed in the 2022 lab it contained xylazine.

But the lethal combination of substances is what gives xylazine its “appeal”: the effect of opioids such as fentanyl. it is prolonged with the help of “Tranq”.

“It’s too late for Philadelphia,” Shawn Westfahl, a Philadelphia prevention point caseworker, told the Times. “Philadelphia’s supply is saturated. If other places in the country have the ability to avoid it, they need to hear our story”.

People with substance use disorders who remain addicted to the zombie drug believe the emerging substance killed “any kind of joy” that came with drug addiction.

“Take it easy it’s basically zombifying the bodies of people,” Sam, 28, told Sky News. “Up until nine months ago, I never had any injuries. Now I have holes in my legs and feet.”

The growing trend of “Tranq” use comes as the New York City Department of Health reported that 2,668 New Yorkers died of overdoses in 2021. Experts warn xylazine could make the current drug epidemic worse.

​According to a 2022 report, xylazine has been discovered in 36 states. In New York City alone, the drug was found in 25 percent of samples, according to the NY Times.

Skid Row, a Disney for addicts

skidrow is currently the most dangerous area of The Angels and is known as the Disney of addicts. The downtown district is currently a drug-ridden area.

Are you in the midst of a homeless crisis, con more than 70,000 homeless people, most of them drug addicts, living on the streets. The nearly 60-block sidewalks are littered with tents and dilapidated buildings, with some people sleeping outdoors on scrap mattresses.

The streets are infested with rats and garbage. A large number of people use drugs openly available for as little as $2, with heroin, fentanyl, crack, weed and methamphetamine being the most popular. Now, the “Tranq” also begins to deforest the brains.

For this reason, the city has been nicknamed “the Disneyland of drug addicts”. days ago, the youtuber Marco Laita Together peter santinello toured Skid Row to show the world this terrible place of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Skid Row in first person

At the center of the neighborhood is the Cecil Hotel, which recently featured in one of the latest crime docuseries Netflix. The place was the seat of murder, rape and drug abuse, while also providing refuge to some of the most notorious serial killers in US history.

A 2019 report from the Los Angeles County Public Health found that drug and alcohol overdose was the leading cause of death at 27%, violence trailed behind at 24%, while homicide was the reason behind 6% of all deaths within Skid Row. .

Substance abuse used to be a quiet activity, but now it has become much more blatant with the police turning a blind eye: “Guards tend to let people do whatever they want,” Mark said in his YouTube video.