Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Burj Qalawieh, south Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The first ship of the Maghreb fleet delivering aid to break the siege on Gaza departs from the port of Gammarth in Tunisia.
Channel 12: Airspace closed at Ramon Airport due to fears of drone infiltration
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded over an aircraft infiltration in the Bir Ora area, and details are being examined
Drone infiltration sirens sound north of the Gulf of Aqaba
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out five extremely violent raids on the western areas of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out major bombings in the Gaza Strip, the most violent since October 7
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree: The missile force carried out a major operation using the Palestine 2 ballistic hypersonic missile, hitting several targets in occupied Yafa.
Sirens sound in large areas of occupied Palestine after a missile launch from Yemen was detected
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 14 martyrs arrive at al-Shifa Hospital following Israeli massacre of al-Sultan Family north of Gaza.

Zombie drug 'tranq' sending US down another dark path

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 20 Jun 2023 11:35
4 Min Read

Tranq, an emerging street drug with devastating effects, is sending the United States down a path darker than its predecessors due to various factors.

  • x
  • A protester gathers containers that look like OxyContin bottles at an anti-opioid demonstration in front of the US Department of Health and Human Services headquarters in Washington on April 5, 2019 (AP)
    A protester gathers containers that look like OxyContin bottles at an anti-opioid demonstration in front of the US Department of Health and Human Services headquarters in Washington on April 5, 2019 (AP)

Heroin was once at the helm of the drug empire, holding the reigns of the opioid epidemic in the United States before it was replaced by fentanyl, a synthetic drug that is much easier to produce, a lot cheaper, and much more potent. However, fentanyl seems to be falling out of favor as the market is dominated by tranq, a flesh-eating drug that turns its users into what could best be described as mindless zombies roaming the streets unaware of their surroundings.

One addict who identified as Martin told AFP how he saw fentanyl replacing heroin as New York's drug of choice, but today, he is trying to avoid the drug known as tranq, an animal tranquilizer whose effects are devastating the US population.

Read next: Combating fentanyl needs global strategy similar to COVID's: US envoy

Xylazine, whose street name is short for a tranquilizer, is said to cause holes in the user's body, as was evident with Martin, whose wounds on his legs and arms indicate that he may have used the detrimental substance.

The drug, which has been approved for veterinary use by the US Food and Drug Administration, infiltrated the country's diverse drug market as producers upped its usage to augment fentanyl.

Tranq-related overdose deaths have been on the increase in recent years, with the White House designating it as an emerging threat in April.

Its potency is surreal and it is highly accessible, with almost anyone being able to get it off the internet. Coupled with fentanyl nearly all the time, the opioid is around 50 times more potent than heroin.

The potency comes at a cost, however, as users would need to calibrate the amount they would abuse, but instead, they use as much as they would heroin, leading to their death. The emergence of the drug raise the number of fatal overdoses in the United States to nearly 110,000 in 2022, a record-high for the country hit by opioid epidemic after opioid epidemic.

The drug is notorious for how little it needs to induce an overdose.

Related News

US, China to resume talks in Madrid; tariffs, TikTok on agenda

China warns Philippines against provocations in South China Sea

  • On the left, a lethal dose of heroin; on the right, a lethal dose of fentanyl (New Hampshire State Police Forensic Lab)
    On the left, a lethal dose of heroin; on the right, a lethal dose of fentanyl (New Hampshire State Police Forensic Lab)

A lethal dose of heroin, i.e., enough of the substance to kill an average-sized adult male, is around 30 milligrams, while for fentanyl it is about 3 milligrams, a stark difference.

Meanwhile, xylazine-related overdoses rose from 260 in 2018 to 3,480 in 2021, showing a dangerous trend for the drug

New York City authorities say traces of xylazine were found in 19 percent of fatal opioid overdoses, around 419 deaths, in 2021.

Health experts suspect that xylazine causes abscesses and skin ulcers by tightening blood vessels, and in some cases, it could lead to amputation.

The number of fatal overdoses in New York soared more than 80 percent between 2019 and 2021 to 2,668 deaths, largely due to fentanyl as well as the Covid-19 pandemic, which isolated users and hampered relief efforts. African-American and Hispanic communities were the most impacted.

Between 2019 and 2021, the number of fatal overdoses in New York increased by more than 80%, reaching 2,668 deaths. Fentanyl and the Covid-19 pandemic, which isolated users and delayed relief operations, were largely to blame. The most affected communities were those that were Hispanic and African-American.

Both the city and drug-prevention associations are focusing on naloxone, a nasal spray antidote that reverses an opioid overdose. However, one major aspect of tranq is that it is not an opioid, so naloxone does not reverse its effects.

Leonardo Dominguez Gomez, a field researcher with New York's health department, said it is still possible to avoid xylazine because it hasn't proliferated through the market.

However, there are countless videos online showing how the populations of New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, are being hit hard by the emerging zombie epidemic.

@urbanvisuals2.0 #thebronx #bronx #bronxnyc #nyc #fypシ ♬ original sound - Urban Visuals 2.0

Social media users were prompted by the sights seen in the streets of the United States to criticize the government for prioritizing military spending instead of combating the domestic crises the country is imbued in.

@urbanvisuals2.0 #kensingtonphilly #kensingtonphiladelphia #skidrow #kensington #philadelphia ♬ original sound - Urban Visuals 2.0
  • United States
  • New York
  • Drug Epidemic
  • Heroin
  • Fentanyl
  • Philadelphia
  • Traq

Most Read

The damaged building in the Katara neighborhood, Doha, Qatar, September 9, 2025 (Social media)

Hamas delegation survives Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar

  • Politics
  • 9 Sep 2025
Israeli police and rescue teams respond at the scene of a shooting attack where several people killed and injured in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 (AP)

Al-Quds shooting: 7 settlers killed, several critically injured

  • Politics
  • 8 Sep 2025
Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

Pro-'Israel' far-right Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Friday, September 27, 2024 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' stops unfunded diplomacy ahead of UN, October 7 memorial

An Israeli Air Force fighter jet releases flares over the Gaza Strip, is seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 8, 2025 (AP)
Politics

OIC summit draft: Israeli attack on Qatar risks normalization

People shout slogans and hold Palestinian flags while protesting during the twenty-first stage of La Vuelta cycling race from Alalpardo to Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP)
Sports

Pro-Palestine protests force abrupt end to Vuelta a España finale

Damage is seen after an Israeli strike targeted a compound that hosted Hamas' political leadership in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli regime faces growing isolation over Qatar strike: Reports

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS