United States: Xylazine, a "zombie drug" that wreaks havoc
A syringe and its needle (illustration photo). ZaldyImg/Flickr/Wikipedia
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U.S. authorities speak of an emerging threat. A new drug that has hit the market is wreaking havoc in the country. Dubbed the "zombie drug," xylazine is even more dangerous than fentanyl.
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With our correspondent in New York, Loubna Anaki
It would be 50 times more powerful than heroin, 100 times more powerful than morphine. Xylazine is now thought to be responsible for one-third of overdose deaths in the United States.
Originally, it was an animal tranquilizer, but its sedative power combined with an opioid feels like it's out of touch with reality for a long time.
Its use has exploded in recent years because of its high addictive potential and its ridiculous price: nearly 6 dollars per kilogram online.
But for the US authorities, this is a new health crisis. Because xylazine is very toxic. It can cause respiratory problems, heart problems and can even cause coma.
Above all, it causes impressive wounds on the skin of users, such as bedsores, very difficult to treat. And that's why this drug is now called the zombie drug, because of the flesh that rots and necrosis.
The United States, which is already facing an epidemic of opioid overdoses, has sounded the alarm for cities and states to organize in the face of this new danger. The city of Philadelphia has become the epicenter of this new scourge.
► Read also:
- Fentanyl trafficking: the United States goes on the offensive against the Sinaloa cartel and China
- By 2022, the U.S. seized enough fentanyl to kill all Americans.
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- United States
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