'Zombie' Drug Floods the Streets of Los Angeles

Xylazine is known as the "zombie" drug because it causes the skin to rot, disfigures users, develops ulcers, and in some cases leads to amputation or death from overdose.

KTLA SCREENSHOT

KTLA reported on May 12 that Los Angeles County police (California, USA) have just launched a campaign to track the path of a sedative commonly used by veterinarians to anesthetize animals.

Xylazine, also known as the 'zombie drug', is said to have flooded the streets of Los Angeles with serious and deadly effects when mixed with illegal opioids.

Also known as “tranq,” xylazine is increasingly turning up in the illicit drug supply. It can be processed into powder form or mixed with illicit substances like heroin and fentanyl, or pressed into tranquilizer pills or counterfeit pills.

The drug has been nicknamed "zombie" because of its rotting effects on the skin. Concerns are growing about the widespread availability of xylazine in Los Angeles.

Xylazine is known to cause serious harm, sometimes disfiguring users, developing ulcers, leading in some cases to amputation or death from overdose.

Authorities say the reason xylazine hasn't been widely tracked is because it's not actually a banned substance. When crime lab analysts find xylazine in other illicit substances like fentanyl, it often doesn't trigger a warning for that reason.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have both issued urgent warnings about xylazine. Some say the campaign to track xylazine shipments is the right step in a broader fight to combat the rising number of deaths linked to the drug.

Focusing on tracking xylazine's path will help officials better understand how prevalent the drug is on the streets of Los Angeles and how best to combat this deadly new threat.

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