Street fentanyl has long been viewed as unstoppable. Now many experts say the supply of the deadly synthetic opioid is suddenly drying up in many parts of the U.S. and fatal overdoses are dropping.
Deaths from overdoses of Xylazine-laced fentanyl have surged. The White House drug czar says he's marshalling efforts on testing, tracking, treatment, and stopping the spread.
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found U.S. deaths involving xylazine, known on the street as Tranq, had already risen 35-fold by 2021.
A dangerous chemical called xylazine is being mixed into fentanyl across the U.S., but who's doing it and why is a mystery. The government still doesn't identify and track new drug threats.
The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy named a veterinary tranquilizer an “emerging threat” for humans when mixed with the opioid fentanyl, but pharmacists say they've been warning for years about irreversible overdose and extreme morbidity risks associated with xylazine.
The White House says drug deaths linked to a mix of synthetic drugs including fentanyl and xylazine — also known as tranq — are a major public health threat. The drug cocktail is spreading fast.
The veterinary tranquilizer has been linked to a growing number of overdose deaths across the country, especially in the Northeast. It's often combined with fentanyl, but can't be treated with Narcan.
