WASHINGTON—Last week Senator Mike Braun sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Milgram about the growing public health threat Xylazine, a horse tranquilizer known as “tranq”, that is bei
ng mixed with fentanyl as a street drug and has caused fatal overdoses across the United States. In the letter, Senator Braun identifies Xylazine as a priority for confiscation at all U.S. points of entry and emphasizes the importance of border security to curb illegal drug trafficking.
Senator Braun writes:
“I write today to focus your attention to an urgent and growing public health concern. Xylazine, a veterinary drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the sedation of large animals, is now being consumed as a street drug throughout the United States.’ Xylazine causes fatal poisoning and severe skin wounds, including necrosis – the rotting of human tissue that may ultimately require amputation. We call on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to provide clarity on the status of xylazine-related border countermeasures.”
Background
· The DEA confiscated fentanyl-and-Xylazine mixtures from 48 out of 50 states, and in 2022, approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained amounts of Xylazine
· Worse, the life-saving opioid overdose medication Naloxone does not reverse the effects of Xylazine, since Xylazine is not an opioid
Read the full letter here.
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