White House launches plan to cut ‘zombie drug’ tranq overdoses by 15%

The Biden administration Tuesday said it plans to cut the number of overdoses related to the deadly “zombie drug” tranq by 15% within the next two years.

The plan centers on gathering data on how prevalent the drug, formally known as xylazine, is, cutting off its supply routes coming from outside the US and developing treatments against its effects, all while ensuring veterinary clinics’ supply of the animal tranquilizer remains unaffected.

“Our goal is to get fentanyl combined with xylazine off our streets and out of our communities,” White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden told reporters.

“The proportion of xylazine-involved deaths is continuously growing and is a great concern,” she added.

In April, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy designated fentanyl adulterated with xylazine as an “emerging threat,” with the deadly cocktail involved in 4,859 overdose deaths nationally between January 2021 and June 2022, according to the CDC.

The latest study from the agency found that nearly 11% of fentanyl overdose deaths were tied to tranq in June 2022, an alarming increase from just 3% in 2019.

The report also cited a staggering 1,127% rise in xylazine-positive overdose deaths in the South and a 103% spike in the Northeast.

Tanden said the government will begin testing people who have overdosed on the deadly animal tranquilizer when they’re taken to emergency departments, as well as test confiscated narcotics to see if they’re laced with xylazine, which has invaded drug markets in New York City and across the country.

Officials said more drug dealers have begun using tranq to boost their fentanyl supply and extend the opioid’s effect, and even if users don’t suffer overdoses, xylazine has clear effects on them.

The tranquilizer can leave people with severe skin ulcers and necrosis, earning the infamous nickname the “zombie drug” because it has been known to lead to rotting skin and the need for amputations.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, told reporters that the wounds left by the drug are unlike any he’s ever seen before, adding that it was clear the US needed to act quickly.

“We know that xylazine is coming from online vendors overseas, including those in China, and it’s mixed into drugs in the United States,” Gupta said of the supply line.

Jeanmarie Perrone, director of the Division of Medical Toxicology and Addiction Medicine Initiatives at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, told NBC News that the government also needs to study just how addictive xylazine actually is.

“If there is a withdrawal syndrome, how is it treated? How is it prevented? How serious is it?” Perrone said. “That would be a very important thing to solve.”

Tanden said the Biden administration will also explore potential regulations for xylazine, which could see it reclassified under the Controlled Substances Act.

It remains unclear how the reclassification would affect veterinary clinics that use the drug, but officials said the plan would work to minimize potential disruptions to animal care.

The plan would likely be funded by the proposed $46.1 billion National Drug Control program highlighted by President Biden in March, which is still pending approval from Congress.