West Virginia is becoming epicenter of ‘deadliest drug threat America has ever faced’: Lethal combination of zombie ‘tranq’ and fentanyl could exacerbate death rate in US’ worst-hit state for opioid abuse

The opioid epidemic ravaging America is facing a new deadly drug trend — and West Virginia is on track to become the epicenter.

'Tranq dope' is the name given to the powerful animal tranquilizer xylazine – a non-opioid animal tranquilizer used as a powerful cutting agent.

It is beginning to flood the supply of illegal drugs in the US and is now being mixed with fentanyl to make the opioid more potent and prolong the high dose users receive after consuming the drug.

But it creates a deadly cocktail that is deadlier than any single drug alone and leaves users in a zombie-like state. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has described xylazine as “the deadliest threat our country has ever faced.”

But the Mountain State is already facing an opioid epidemic, with the drug overdose death rate per 100,000 people being the highest in the nation and nearly double that of the next worst state.

Doctors on the ground fear the potential death rate could continue to rise if people unknowingly take other medications laced with the deadly sedative, which does not interact with the life-saving reversal drug used for opioid overdoses.

Laura Weigel, who runs a drug treatment center for the local YWCA, explained NBC: 'We can't do anything fast enough to get ahead of (the drug).'

Drug overdoses killed 91 people per 100,000 people in West Virginia in 2021, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The state with the next highest rate, Tennessee, had 56 deaths per 100,000 people from overdoses.

In 2019, xylazine was involved in just six overdose deaths in West Virginia, but that number increased nearly tenfold to 59 in 2020. It continued to rise, affecting 90 overdose deaths in 2021.

And last year, there were 95 deaths attributed to xylazine, even as the total number of overdose deaths for all drugs in West Virginia fell 3.6 percent between March 2021 and March 2022, the CDC said.

Data from West Virginia University shows that the drug — which goes by the street names “tranq,” “tranq dope” and “zombie” drug — is present in between 15 and 20 percent of needles collected across the state are used.

In 2015, xylazine was involved in less than one percent of drug overdoses in ten US cities, but in 2020 it rose to seven percent.

When the drug enters the body, it immediately goes to the bloodstream and people feel the effects within 10 minutes. As time passes, people become confused, disoriented and even comatose.

They may develop shallow breathing or stop breathing altogether. Xylazine also shuts down the body, forcing the muscles to relax and the organs to slow down their processes.

The drug causes blood pressure to plummet, the heart to slow at a dangerous rate, and the lungs to become pressurized.

And because tranq is not an opioid, naloxone, also known as Narcan – the life-saving opioid overdose drug – does not work in people who overdose on it.

The DEA issued a public safety alert earlier this year following widespread reports of fentanyl laced with xylazine.

In an effort to raise awareness about the epidemic, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent an alert to healthcare professionals warning of the possible inclusion of tranq in other medications because Narcan may not reverse its effects to make.

In addition, it warned that routine testing for drugs in a person's system does not detect xylazine, so doctors may not be able to determine whether someone is suffering from a xylazine overdose.

Tranq is usually injected, but can also be smoked or snorted. In addition to overdosing, people who inject drugs mixed with xylazine are at risk of developing serious wounds, including necrosis – the rotting of human tissue – which could lead to amputations.

West Virginia isn't the only place with a xylazine problem. Philadelphia experienced an influx of the substance, dubbed the “zombie drug” earlier this year, with people lining the city streets in a zombie-like state called “dope lean.”

Tranq's calming effect, along with its mixture with stimulant drugs, could explain why users turn into human statues instead of completely falling over.

In 2020, xylazine was involved in nearly 26 percent of fatal overdoses in Philadelphia alone and is also found in 90 percent of the city's heroin supply.

A 2022 report from the DEA found that there was a seven percent increase in the presence of xylazine in the Midwest; a 61 percent increase in the Northeast; An increase of 114 percent in the West and a jump of 193 percent in the South between 2020 and 2021.

The report also shows that overdose deaths in which victims tested positive for xylazine increased 103 percent in the Northeast; 516 percent in the Midwest; 750 percent in the West and 1,127 percent in the South during the same period.

According to experts, xylazine first appeared in the United States, in the territory of Puerto Rico.

Drug dealers in the area began using it as a cutting agent in the early 2000s to prolong their supply of more expensive drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

A kilo of xylazine can be fifteen times cheaper than fentanyl and sixteen times cheaper than cocaine.

It was then discovered in Philadelphia and Connecticut. But now it's appearing in states across the country.

In West Virginia, authorities say the drug came from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit, making a journey similar to that of fentanyl.

Although US authorities have attempted to crack down on the sale and distribution of the drug, it is relatively easily available from online pharmacies abroad.

Xylazine is incredibly cheap – Dailymail.com found the drug for as little as $1 per kilogram at online Chinese pharmacies – and because it has the same euphoric effects as opioids, it is highly addictive.

Eager to do something, a bipartisan group of members of Congress are backing an initiative to list xylazine, officially labeling it as a drug with abuse potential, similar to the way cocaine and opioids are classified.

If the federal government approves the drug, the DEA could monitor xylazine production, work to stop the drug's spread to the streets and crack down on abuse.

The legislation has received support but has not passed the House or Senate.