Health officials recently spoke to members of the North Carolina House Substance Abuse Select Committee about the dangers of xylazine.
Xylazine is an animal tranquilizer commonly used in veterinary medicine, but it is not approved for use in humans.
According to animal experts at the North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine, “Xylazine is FDA-approved for dogs, cats, horses, deer, and elk as a short-duration sedative and as a pre-anesthetic agent before local anesthesia. I am.”
In recent years, xylazine (also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope”) has been the subject of FDA warnings because people are mixing it with opioids.
Navalun Dasgupta of the UNC Street Drug Analysis Laboratory was one of the people who spoke with members of the NC House. This scientist has over 20 years of experience in overdose epidemiology and harm reduction.
Dasgupta told WRAL News that of 516 fentanyl samples collected from 48 different districts in the state, 41% tested positive for xylazine.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the greatest increase in xylazine use is in the South. According to one report, there was a 193% increase in xylazine instances between 2020 and 2021 alone.
The drug is most often mixed with fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine to increase the weight of the product and prolong the euphoric effects.
Timothy Ives of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy said xylazine is a serious threat to humans because it can cause people to sleep for long periods of time, slow their heart rate and breathing, and cause skin lesions that can be infected. I explained.
“Ulcer is the first line, followed by necrosis,” Ives explained. “We’re seeing people’s noses taken off. It causes a necrotic effect that destroys tissue.”
Xylazine abuse was first discovered in North Carolina in 2021, resulting in skin lesions in a person in Greensboro.
Ives said xylazine is now “ubiquitous” in the state. The pharmacist said he believed the reason was that there were no laws prohibiting sales to non-medical professionals.
“It is not recognized as an illegal substance by the federal government or by North Carolina state law,” Ives said.
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Ives said making xylazine a Schedule III drug in North Carolina would make it available only to licensed veterinarians.
He also said it could help establish a legal basis for punishment of those found infected.
Ives continued, “Health care providers, law enforcement and public health officials in every county in this state and beyond need to truly know what this drug is and how it negatively impacts the public. There is a need.”
Health experts say that in most cases, people are unaware that the drugs they take contain xylazine.
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Although xylazine is not an opioid, medical experts say Narcan should be given to people suspected of overdosing because it may lessen the effects of the opioids it is likely mixed with. claims.
Anyone who believes someone may be experiencing an overdose should also call 911 immediately.
