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NOVI — State Rep. Kelly Breen, D-Novi, is working alongside Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, a Republican, to weed out the wrongful use of the animal tranquilizer xylazine, which is sometimes called “tranq.”
Breen will be introducing legislation that, if passed, would make the now easily accessible drug a Schedule 2 narcotic and only available for its intended use in veterinary medicine.
“This is something, though, that we need to take immediate action on,” Breen, whose family lost a friend to a fentanyl overdose, told members of the media during a June 9 press conference. “What we are seeing here with tranq is taking our worst opioid epidemic and compounding it. It’s horrific.”
Xylazine use is creating a major health crisis across the country, Bouchard said. The drug has become a popular cutting agent in controlled substances. According to Bouchard, since February, it has been seen in approximately 85% of fentanyl seized in Oakland County. Xylazine is not made for human use, and its effects on the human body are severe.
“It’s a terrible drug. On the human physiological makeup, it begins to basically degrade and disintegrate your skin over time,” said Bouchard.
“It makes the saving efforts that we have less and less effective, because there is no impact of Narcan on this particular drug. So it may take multiple doses of Narcan to save someone who has overdosed on fentanyl laced with tranq.”
Xylazine will cause the skin to begin to decay. Chronic wounds, infections and lesions are seen on those who have taken it. It can also cause brain damage and affect mental health.
“It’s a huge, huge threat to health and a big problem,” said Bouchard.
Tranq is easily accessible to anyone, as there are no restrictions on its purchase. Xylazine reportedly was first noticed in street drugs on the East Coast, especially in Philadelphia. It is not federally regulated and can easily be ordered online and delivered to one’s doorstep. Bouchard said the drug is steadily being shipped in from China and Mexico. However, Bouchard said it is also being stolen from veterinary clinics.
Breen said that combating the epidemic will take a multifaceted approach. She said they not only need to make sure it becomes a Schedule 2 narcotic so that it can be stopped at the border, but officials also need to increase the amount of testing being done for it, as well as to educate the public on the dangers of the drug and what first responders can do to help someone who might be overdosing from it.
Xylazine has a sedation effect in humans — it lowers breathing and blood pressure, and it slows down the heart rate. It also has very severe withdrawal symptoms. It is traditionally used as a liquid injectable for large animals in veterinary medicine. However, on the street it is more commonly seen in a solid or powder form. It can be consumed in a variety of ways, including being swallowed, inhaled, smoked, snorted or injected.
“There is nothing more important to me than the safety of the community that I represent, so I want to be able to drop this legislation quickly,” said Breen, who anticipates introducing the legislation by the end of the month.
