DEA Administrator Anne Milgram wrote in the alert that fentanyl becomes "even deadlier" when combined with xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer. Milgram added that the DEA has successfully seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 states.
The DEA Laboratory System also reported that in 2022, an estimated 23 percent of fentanyl powder and seven percent of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid and is a major contributor to fatal and non-fatal overdoses in the U.S., particularly in California.
There are two types of fentanyl: pharmaceutical fentanyl and illicitly manufactured fentanyl (illicit fentanyl). Both are synthetic opioids.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain in patients, like for advanced-stage cancer. Meanwhile, illicit fentanyl is distributed via illegal drug markets because it had a heroin-like effect.
Fentanyl is dangerous because it is extremely potent. It is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
Illicit fentanyl can be added to other drugs to make them cheaper, more potent and even more addictive. Illicit fentanyl has been found in many drugs, including cocaine, counterfeit pills, heroin and methamphetamine.
Fentanyl mixed with any drug increases the likelihood of a fatal overdose. It is almost impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl without the use of fentanyl test strips because the opioid cannot be smelled, seen or tasted.
Fortunately, test strips are inexpensive and they often give results within five minutes, which can spell the difference between life and death. Even if the test is negative, caution should be taken as test strips might not always detect other fentanyl-like drugs, like carfentanil.
Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that quickly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. When dealing with a fentanyl overdose, you may need to administer at least two or more doses of naloxone.
Illicit fentanyl is usually sold alone or in combination with other drugs. It has been identified in counterfeit pills, where it can mimic pharmaceutical drugs like oxycodone.
According to the DEA, counterfeit pills are more lethal than drugs sold previously. The DEA reported that two out of every five counterfeit pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose of the opioid.
The only safe medications are those prescribed by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.
Brightly-colored fentanyl or "rainbow" fentanyl has been identified as a new trend in the U.S. by the DEA. Rainbow fentanyl is available in different forms, such as powder, pills and blocks that look like candy or sidewalk chalk.
Like all forms of fentanyl, rainbow fentanyl is extremely potent and deadly.
Xylazine linked to addiction and overdose deaths
Xylazine is a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer and it is not approved for human use. However, the drug has been associated with a steadily increasing number of overdose deaths nationwide in the evolving drug addiction and overdose crisis.
The full national scope of overdose deaths involving xylazine remains unknown, but data suggests that overdose deaths linked to xylazine have spread across the United States. From 2015 to 2020, the percentage of all drug overdose deaths involving xylazine skyrocketed from only to percent to 26 percent in Pennsylvania.
Xylazine was involved in 19 percent of all drug overdose deaths in Maryland in 2021, and 10 percent of deaths in Connecticut in 2020.
Data has revealed that xylazine is often added to illicit opioids, such as fentanyl. Xylazine appears to substantially prolong a fentanyl high, but at a terrible cost. Those who repeatedly use drugs containing xylazine can manifest open wounds with black, dead tissue that, left untreated, may ultimately require limb amputation.
Most overdose deaths linked to both fentanyl and xylazine also involved additional substances, such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, cocaine, gabapentin, heroin, methadone and prescription opioids.
Xylazine or "tranq" is a central nervous system depressant that can cause amnesia and drowsiness. It can also slow breathing and bring heart rate and blood pressure to dangerously low levels.
Taking opioids with xylazine and other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol or benzodiazepines, increases the risk of life-threatening overdose.
Keep in mind that xylazine is not an opioid and naloxone does not address the impact of xylazine on breathing. Because of this, health experts are worried that the widespread use of xylazine in the illicit opioid supply could make naloxone less effective for some overdoses.
Repeated xylazine use is also linked to abscesses, skin ulcers and related complications. Users have reported that they often use xylazine or xylazine-containing drugs by injecting, snorting, swallowing or inhaling.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses between August 2021 and August 2022. At least two-thirds of the deaths involved synthetic opioids. (Related: DEA: Fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills now contain potentially LETHAL dose of synthetic opioid.)
The grim statistics are a huge problem for the Joe Biden administration, who promised to end the drug crisis during the 2020 election campaign. But with open borders and record amounts of migrants flooding into America, it's no wonder the drug crisis is worsening instead of being resolved.
Watch the video below to know more about the fentanyl crisis.
This video is from the Little Blue Bird channel on Brighteon.com.
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