PHILADELPHIA — Three days a week, dozens of people in active addiction stream through Sarah Laurel's tiny storefront on Kensington Avenue — looking for a place to sit, a hot shower or a snack from Laurel's outreach organization, Savage Sisters.
More often than not, they're also seeking help for serious wounds from injecting drugs laced with an animal tranquilizer called xylazine.
"Tranq," as it's known on the street, is wreaking havoc among people who use opioids in Philadelphia. Not approved for human use, it's nonetheless become a hallmark of the city's already volatile drug supply. It's most often used to cut fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid that has replaced most of the city's heroin. Health officials believe xylazine was initially added to fentanyl to give users a longer-lasting high.
