A deadly, extremely dangerous, flesh-eating drug that has caused a health crisis in the US has reached the markets of Europe. In Great Britain, for example, it has already caused at least 11 deaths, reports The Independent.
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Known as tranq dope or the “zombie” drug, the active substance, xylazine, is a type of tranquilizer for large animals that has been classified as an “emerging threat” by the White House. Its consumption causes painful necrotic wounds, which can lead to amputations and even death. It is most commonly used in combination with fentanyl to help better recreate the long-lasting effects that heroin users experience.
Now the zombie drug has reached the European markets and the first to warn about the danger it represents for public health were the British, after researchers detected the drug in 16 people and associated it with 11 deaths. The first case was that of Karl Warburton, 43, of Solihull, West Midlands, in May 2022, the first death linked to xylazine consumption outside North America.
Worryingly, researchers believe the drug has infiltrated a much wider range of drugs, including cocaine, counterfeit codeine and diazepam (Valium) tablets, and even THC cannabis vapors.
European experts have called for urgent action to improve tests to detect this highly dangerous, flesh-eating drug, and for urgent action to prepare for a growing threat to public health.
Used by veterinarians to tranquilize large animals, when injected, the drug can lower heart and respiratory rates to dangerous levels and also cause large wounds on the body that necrotize, meaning putrefy, turning users into real zombies.
In UK laboratories, xylazine has been detected not only on its own, but also in various types of other drugs, including cannabis vapour. As it is known that in Europe cannabis is the most used drug, in some states its consumption is even legal, the concern is even greater.
The research comes after The Independent revealed that powerful synthetic opioids called nitazines, some of which are 500 times stronger than morphine, have also flooded the illegal drug market and have even been detected in UK prisons.
“It is extremely worrying. The United States has declared it an emerging threat, and we see it here too, and in wider circulation than heroin. Cannabis is the most widely used illegal substance and xylazine has been detected in THC vapor. This puts a potentially large number of people at risk of being affected by its harmful effects,” said Dr. Caroline Copeland of King's College London.
Xylazine, which carries a huge overdose risk due to its potency, is now found on European markets and in tainted tablets sold to unwitting consumers as normally prescription drugs such as Xanax or Valium.
“Inexpensive xylazine test strips should be made available, healthcare providers should be aware of the signs that chronic skin ulcers are due to xylazine consumption, and pathologists and forensic pathologists should specifically request toxicology tests for xylazine in relevant cases to understand the true prevalence of the drug,” experts warn.
