A potent tranquilliser for animals that has been causing problems in US cities has now “penetrated” the illegal drug market in the UK.
The substance xylazine, also known as "Tranq" or "the zombie drug" due to its effects on users, has previously been classified by the White House as a "emerging threat to the nation".
Experts from King's College London have conducted the research, which claims that the health hazard has "now expanded to the United Kingdom".Their study, published in the journal Addiction, looked at several toxicological, drug-testing, and drug-seizure sources.
Xylazine was detected in THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) vape pens, cocaine, and counterfeit prescription medicine.
King's College’s senior author Dr Caroline Copeland said: "We now know that xylazine has penetrated the UK's illicit drug market.
"This is cause for alarm as a much wider population of people who use drugs beyond heroin users will be exposed to its harms. We also know that most people who buy heroin will not intend to buy xylazine and this combination increases the risk of overdose.”
The drug is already linked to a rising number of deaths in the US.
Sky News reported the most recent data from 20 US states and the District of Columbia showed that the monthly percentage of fentanyl-associated deaths where xylazine was found has increased from 2.9 per cent to 10.9 per cent.
Dr Raul Gupta, the White House director of national drug control policy, said: “This administration recognises the grave threat that fentanyl combined with xylazine presents to our nation.”
In May, a 43-year-old man was reported as Britain’s first xylazine fatality. The victim, whom The Times identified as Karl Warburton from the West Midlands, died in May 2022 after overdosing on a mix of drugs – xylazine, heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine. His death was featured in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine from King’s College London in a report about xylazine.
A coroner said in August that the man died from acute aspiration pneumonitis, a condition often caused by inhaling toxins, and cited xylazine as a contributing factor.
But what is xylazine, why has it been called a zombie drug, and what can happen if you take it?
What is xylazine?
Xylazine, which is also known colloquially as “tranq dope”, is a medication that belongs to the class of drugs known as alpha-2 adrenergic agonists. It is primarily used as a veterinary sedative typically used to treat large animals, as well as pets, that may need a relaxant before surgery.
The UK Government‘s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the sedative is often used to handle fractious animals, for example, in transportation. It is also used as an analgesic (pain reliever).
Xylazine is not approved or recommended for use in humans. It can have significant adverse effects on human health, including respiratory depression, cardiovascular complications, and other serious side-effects. The British Medical Journal has reported an increasing presence of the drug in heroin and/or fentanyl deaths in Philadelphia in the US.
The drug works by binding to specific receptors in the central nervous system, resulting in sedation, muscle relaxation, and analgesia. Xylazine also has some effects on the cardiovascular system, including lowering heart rate and blood pressure.
Why is xylazine called the ‘zombie drug’ and what are its side-effects?
The term “zombie drug” is used colloquially to describe the extreme sedative and hallucinogenic effects that xylazine can produce when taken by humans. It can cause a person to appear physically unresponsive or “zombified” due to the strong sedation and lack of co-ordination it induces.
MailOnline said it rots users’ skin from the inside, causing gaping sores.
The outlet added that xylazine is “ravaging cities across the US, after having first been abused by people in Puerto Rico”.
Meanwhile, Time magazine said at least 434 fatal overdoses there in 2021 involved xylazine.
Time added that the Biden administration had deemed xylazine-laced fentanyl an “emerging threat” in April and asked Congress for $11m (£9m) to combat it.
How many people in the UK have died after taking xylazine?
Researchers from King’s College identified that 11 people have died including Warburton, who is the only publicly available name linked to death from the drug.
MailOnline reported that the father-of-two “was found dead at his home in Smith’s Wood, Birmingham, last May surrounded by drug paraphernalia”.
They also reported that “the drug’s arrival in Britain was first discovered by toxicologists at the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths (NPSAD)”.
By the end of August 2023, 35 cases of xylazine had been discovered in Wales, Scotland, and England. Northern Ireland had no cases reported.
