By: Lydia Crawley
City of Parsons Police Chief Kevin Keplinger wants to get the word out to the public about the potential danger from a new illicit drug making its way from the Philadelphia area.
“If you’ve seen any of the videos, particularly from Philadelphia, where people are moving like statues or not moving at all, that’s xylazine,” Keplinger said. “Its a tranquilizer, an animal tranquilizer.”
Xylazine, known as “Tranq” on the streets, is a powerful, non-opiod animal tranquilizer that has not been approved for human use. The substance is most commonly found mixed with illicit opioids, especially fentanyl, but has also been found with cocaine and heroin.
“When they test, particularly fentanyl, fentanyl is almost always included with xylazine,” Keplinger said.
Fortunately, the substance has not been seen in the Parsons area, that Keplinger said he is aware of. However, he wanted the public to be aware and vigilant of the potential danger due to where drugs are being transported from and it is in West Virginia.
“We have not seen xylazine here that we know of,” Keplinger said. “We haven’t had a positive ID, but the areas that we are getting our drugs from it is there. It is in West Virginia.”
The risks of xylazine include: Increased overdose risk due to the sedative effects of xylazine which can lead to a dangerously low heart rate, according to research; Severe skin wounds are found on users that inject and can develop severe skin ulcers, abscesses and necrotic or rotting tissue that can lead to amputations and can occur anywhere on the body, not just at the injection site and are also known to happen with users who smoke or snort the drug; Infection risk is also high due to shared use of contaminated needles used to inject any drug can increase the risk of infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, as well as bacterial infections and Severe withdrawal can effect regular xylazine users who develop a physical dependence on the substance and can be more intense than opioid withdrawal.
“This stuff, its bad,” Keplinger said. “Its a flesh eater. It destroys your neuromuscular system. Not real good stuff at all.”
The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that currently there is no reversal agent for xylazine and NIDA funded research is currently underway to better understand the effects of xylazine on the human body, its impact on communities and role in the overdose crisis.
As a veterinary medicine, xylazine is not FDA approved for human use in any form. Federally, xylazine is not a controlled substance, but some States have placed it on controlled substance lists due to its increasing use in illicit substances. In West Virginia, xylazine is a Schedule IV controlled substance as of March 2023 when then Governor Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 546 which added the substance to the State’s Controlled Substance List. This classification does not effect any veterinary use.
Should anyone be suspected of a xylazine overdose, call emergency services immediately at 911 for assistance.
“I just wanted people to be aware, please,” Keplinger said. “You do not know what you are being sold or what you are using, you do not know what it is being mixed with.”