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According to WebMD, Xylazine, commonly known as tranq, “is a non-opioid sedative analgesic medication that’s largely mixed into (adulterated) and used as an additive with other opioid substances like heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.”
Fentanyl cut with xylazine is called “tranq dope.” Drug “cookers” add the sedative as a way to “bulk up or boost” the effects of the drug being sold. Heroin was pushed out by fentanyl for its powerful effects. Still, it doesn’t last as long as heroin. Adding xylazine “gives it legs,” reports Sarah Laurel, the founder of Savage Sisters, a harm-reduction group.
But, it is originally intended to calm and facilitate the medical procedures of animals like horses and cattle. Tranq is not FDA-approved for humans. So, how did it get mixed up in the street supply?
The tranquilizer is not a federally-controlled substance, according to WebMD. It is easily accessible with a veterinarian’s prescription. But, with the newly revealed effects of the drug, laws are evolving to address the deadly repercussions of consumption.
Take Philadelphia for example. The Drug Enforcement Agency records that in 2021, the city had a total of 1,276 overdose deaths. 82 percent of those deaths involved fentanyl. Philly’s Kensington neighborhood is the largest open-air drug market on the East Coast, and tranq has sunk its teeth into residents’ necks.
Users looking to reach a high with tranq suffer the effects of severe, painful ulcers and abscesses. A recovering addict named James Sherman who attempts to help users still on the streets, believes “it is absolutely horrible…some people aren’t ready to see it.” “It’s literally people’s flesh rotting, and you can smell it.”
No matter where it is injected, if it is snorted or smoked, these large wounds can appear anywhere. Some lesions become infected and are forced to be amputated because they do not heal.
Maggie is a user residing in Philadelphia and she explains, “you shoot up and you miss, you get a sore. You don’t take care of your sore, you’ll wind up in the hospital with a hole.” Dr. Joseph D’Orazio of Temple University Hospital describes that “sometimes you can see the bones, and we were starting to see more patients that were requiring amputations.”
Another effect of this heinous substance is the “tranq walk.” Because the drug was originally intended to sedate large animals, when used by humans, it puts the person in an unconscious state and a lazy position. The drug has spread to 48 of the 50 states.
This has been a worsening issue since the ‘70s. What happened to “the drug war”? Why hasn’t America won this fight, focused on this enemy? The city of Philly and the United States owe it to citizens to eliminate this virus. Change starts at home. There must be an internal “reconstruction” or communities will continue to fall apart before outsiders even get close.