Editorial: Panel’s deliberate pace doesn’t match xylazine’s OD threat

The Massachusetts Special Commission on Xylazine held preliminary meetings Monday and Tuesday in efforts to examination the increasing presence of the dangerous animal sedative in the state s illicit drug supply The select panel s mandate involves inspecting the proliferation of xylazine and providing recommendations to address the masses robustness and safety concerns posed by the proliferation of xylazine as an additive to illicit drugs The use of xylazine in the illicit drug supply often combined with fentanyl presents serious risks including increased overdose expected and severe skin infections ulcers Xylazine also known as tranq or tranq dope is a non-opioid sedative or tranquilizer according to the CDC The mixing of the drug and fentanyl was declared an emerging threat by the White House s Office of National Drug Control Agenda in The tranquilizer used in veterinary medicine but not approved for use in humans has been increasingly unveiled in illegal drugs in the U S in latest years alarmingly linked to overdose deaths the CDC states The drug which can slow down the brain and breathing make the heart beat slower and lower blood pressure in people is especially dangerous when combined with opioids like fentanyl In xylazine was revealed in of drug samples in Massachusetts tested by the non-profit Street Check Public Drug Checking undertaking By the number rose to of the drug samples tested in Massachusetts So far in the nonprofit has determined the drug in of samples In the Massachusetts Department of General Medical identified xylazine present in just under of opioid-related overdose deaths of state residents In the number doubled to the records show The Massachusetts law originally called for the Special Commission on Xylazine to submit a review by June but a proposal seeks to delay the date to March The panel which convened for its initial constituents meeting in June is conducting additional hearings to gather testimony A working group focusing on Outreach and Rehabilitation is also evolving The illicit drug supply changes constantly with new and addictive substances being mixed into street drugs with xylazine a prime example Over the past two years for instance New England has seen a troubling trend in which dealers sell drugs mixed with a variety of substances A counterfeit Xanax pill can be laced with cocaine fentanyl and xylazine which has proven to be resistant to overdose-reversal medications And despite the new progress drug fatalities remain historically high Nationwide people died of drug overdoses in and overdoses remain the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of to according to the CDC In Massachusetts the fatalities last year were still more than double what they were in We d urge the panel to quicken its pace considering xylazine s rising usage and immunity to overdose antidotes The precipitous decline in overdose deaths in occurred partly due to the increased availability of the OD preemptive presence of Narcan when fentanyl not xylazine was the primary contributing factor Now those drugs may share equal culpability Sentinel and Enterprise Editorial cartoon by Al Goodwyn Creators Syndicate