A recent study found a steep increase in the number of people who overdose on the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine. Xylazine is often used by Mexican Drug Cartels as a cutting agent in fentanyl.
In a study, researchers examined 10 locations in the United States and found that xylazine was responsible for 6.7% of all overdose deaths in 2020, compared to 0.36% in 2015. All the xylazine overdoses that occurred were triggered by fentanyl, according to reports.
Xylazine
Some experts are concerned that xylazine, which is a sedative, could increase the risk of a fatal overdose when taken with fentanyl. That’s because the combination of the two drugs can worsen the slowed breathing caused by opioids. Xylazine can make it more difficult for opioid users to recover from their overdoses by using the opioid overdose antidote naloxone.
The results of that study, said researcher Joseph Friedman from UC Los Angeles, show that xylazine is being used widely as a contaminant in the drug supply.
Friedman said, “the supply of drugs is very bad right now.” It is unbelievable how many contaminants there are, and it is very hard to keep track of everything. People aren’t buying things that they think they are buying, or they don’t know what they are buying.
Keith is a retired Police Sergeant, working his entire 29 year career in the San Francisco Bay Area. Keith is a recipient of the prestigious California’s Narcotics Officer of the Year Award and is a prior winner of MADD’s California Hero Award. He has years of experience as a Narcotics Detective and a Narcotics Unit Supervisor and is a Drug Recognition Expert Instructor (IACP #3292). Keith has developed several courses for the Department of Defense, California Narcotics Officers Association, and California POST, and numerous police agencies and private corporations.
Keith has held other assignments besides narcotics including Training Sergeant, Patrol Sergeant, COPPS Officer, Traffic Officer, and 20 years as a SWAT Team member and Sniper Team Leader. Keith has taught thousands of officers and businesses around the world about drug use, drug trends, compliance training and drug investigations. Keith is also the founder of Christian Warrior Training, where he provides free resources and training to church security ministries. He is recognized as an international drug expert and has testified as an expert in court proceedings on drug cases, homicide cases and rape prosecutions. Keith earned a BA in Business Management from Saint Mary’s College of California and a MA in Criminal Justice. Keith is the Founder and President of Graves & Associates, a company dedicated to providing drug training to law enforcement, the Department of Defense, and private industry internationally. You can follow Keith on social media on Facebook (DopeCop and DrugEnforcementCops), twitter (DopeCop) and Instagram (DrugEnforcementCops).
You mentioned a recent study in the article on fentanyl being cut with Xylazine. Can you provide a link or the source to the original study?
I found it. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S037687162200117X. Thanks