A powerful animal tranquilizer known as narcotics has infiltrated the UK drug market, potentially leaving users with limb amputation.
Xylazine (also known as tranq) has been linked to 11 deaths in the UK.
In most cases, the drug is mixed with powerful opioids like heroin or fentanyl, but a new study shows it’s also been found in counterfeit prescription pills, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) e-cigarettes and cocaine. drug.
The new study, published in the journal Addiction, warns of side effects including airway damage and skin ulcers that could lead to amputation.
Researchers, led by academics at King’s College London, highlighted how use of the drug has become a major problem in the US and that this “public health threat has now extended to the UK”.
They highlighted the death of a 43-year-old man in Solihull, West Midlands, in May 2022.
Their research examined various toxicology, drug testing and drug seizure sources and identified 35 cases of xylazine in England, Scotland and Wales at the end of August last year. No cases have been detected in Northern Ireland.
They published data on 16 biological samples collected from a toxicology laboratory, in which the drug was found in 16 people, 11 of whom had died. About 11 of the samples came from last summer.
Senior author Dr Caroline Copeland, from King’s College London, said: “We now know that xylazine has penetrated the UK’s illicit drug market.
“This is cause for alarm because in addition to heroin users, there is a wider group of drug users who will be harmed by it.
“We also know that most people who buy heroin do not intend to buy xylazine, a combination that increases the risk of overdose. Xylazine has been designated an “emerging threat” to the United States, a public health threat that increasingly attracting British attention.
“There are three simple steps the UK can take to prevent the xylazine use epidemic seen in the US. Cheap xylazine test strips should be made available and healthcare providers need to be aware of the signs of chronic skin ulcers due to xylazine use, disease Psychologists and coroners should specifically request toxicological testing of xylazine in relevant cases to understand the true prevalence of the drug.”
A government spokesman said: “We are aware of the threat posed by xylazine and are determined to protect people from this and other illegal synthetic drugs.
“We will not hesitate to take action to protect public safety. Following advice from the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), we intend to classify xylazine as a Class C drug, meaning anyone supplying this substance will face up to 14 imprisonment for one year, a fine, or both.”
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