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Welcome to MSM News. Your number one source for unbiased reporting about the global stories that matter most.
The opioid crisis has become a significant public health concern in recent years as open-air drug use laws gain momentum. Society's most formidable opposition in the illegal narcotics game is a synthetic opioid called fentanyl.
The drug is estimated to be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and approximately 50 times stronger than heroin.
In September 2021, the US Drug Enforcement Administration issued a public safety alert about the sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with Xylazine, often referred to as "Tranq."
"Tranq" is in my city...
A. Yes, it is.
B. No, it isn't.
C. Never heard of it.
Xylazine is a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer that is not approved for human use, but is often misused recreationally due to its sedative effects.
While the full national scope of overdose deaths involving Xylazine is unknown, research shows mortality rates have spread westward across the US, with the most immense impact in the Northeast.
According to the DEA report, people who inject drug mixtures containing Xylazine develop severe skin wounds that progress to tissue death and amputation. The medication also depresses the central nervous system causing extreme drowsiness, amnesia, and dangerously slow breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.
In the event of a suspected Xylazine overdose, experts recommend giving the opioid reversal medication naloxone, or Narcan, because Xylazine is frequently combined with opioids.
Contact the substance abuse and mental health services administration's national helpline for substance abuse treatment and mental health referrals. That number is 1-800-662-HELP.
This episode of MSM News was produced by Madinah Slaise and distributed exclusively by Madinah Slaise Media.
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