Animal sedative adds new suffering to opioid drug crisis, but is it driving up deaths?

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) – A powerful animal sedative in the illicit drug supply is complicating the U.S. response to the opioid crisis. It’s called xylazine.

It’s not intended for human use and can cause severe skin wounds in people who inject it. But whether it is leading to more deaths – as suggested by officials in Washington – is not yet clear.

In fact, some early data suggests the drug may inadvertently be diluting the effects of fentanyl, the synthetic opioid behind most overdose deaths.

But there is broad agreement that information is needed to understand xylazine’s impact and craft ways of disrupting illegal supplies.

Read the full story on AP News right here.

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6/23/2023 12:13:45 PM (GMT -5:00)