xylazine

The animal tranquilizer xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is finding its way into opioid supplies and wreaking havoc all over the country. It’s rotting people’s flesh, leading to amputations and complicating drug treatment. WSJ’s Julie Wernau takes us to Robeson County, N.C., the new “ground zero” for xylazine addiction. Further Reading: - Flesh-Rotting ‘Tranq’ Undermines Fight Against Fentanyl  - Recovering From Drug Addiction Was Hard. Tranq Made It Worse.  - Nurses Make House Calls to Treat ‘Tranq’ Wounds for Users at Society’s Edge  Further Listening: - Why Some Opioid Victims Are Challenging Purdue’s Settlement  - How a Drug Maker Plans to Cut Off Money for Opioid Victims   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A deadly and addictive chemical normally used as a horse tranquilizer is being mixed into illegal drugs.Xylazine has been around for a while, but over the last year authorities have been seeing it turn up in higher quantities all over the country. In recent weeks, U.S. Drug Czar Rahul Gupta has been sounding the alarm, even acknowledging public health experts and police are mostly in the dark about how Xylazine took hold so quickly.NPR's Juana Summers speaks with addiction correspondent Brian Mann, who has been reporting on the mysterious and deadly emergence of the drug. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

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