The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy is designating the tranquilizer xylazine when mixed with fentanyl as an emerging threat.
The drug was approved for veterinary uses more than 50 years ago. But recently, it's been showing up in the supply of illicit drugs across the U.S., where it's sometimes known as “tranq.”
It's a depressant that can slow down users' heart rates and breathing and cause skin ulcers and abscesses. No antidote has been identified.
President Biden's top drug-control official says the designation clears the way to spend taxpayer money to develop strategies to deal with xylazine.
