US drug tsar warns xylazine tranquilizer mixed with fentanyl is ‘emerging threat’

Dr Rahul Gupta: ‘As the president’s drug policy adviser, I am deeply concerned about what this threat means for the nation.’ Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

Joe Biden’s drug tsar has named a veterinary tranquilizer as an “emerging threat” when it is mixed with the powerful opioid fentanyl, clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of xylazine.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced the designation on Wednesday, the first time the office has used it since the category for fast-growing drug dangers was created in 2019.