DEA issues public warning for dangerous widespread fentanyl mix

The Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a public safety alert about a dangerous mix of fentanyl and xylazine, a powerful sedative, that is being trafficked in 48 states of the United States.

This dangerous mixture carries the particularly high risk of a fatal overdose, and the use of Narcan, which reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, would be ineffective in the event of an accidental overdose because xylazine is not an opioid.

“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “The DEA Laboratory System is reporting that in 2022 approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine.”

Xylazine is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for veterinary use, and the DEA has advised the use of Narcan on people suffering from a drug overdose, regardless of the presence of xylazine. US officials have warned healthcare providers about the possibility of a suspected drug overdose containing xylazine in addition to fentanyl.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that approximately 107,735 Americans died from drug poisoning between August 2021 and August 2022, with 66% of those deaths involving opioids like fentanyl. The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels in Mexico are primarily responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl being trafficked in the United States.

The DEA issued a public safety alert about fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl in 2021, warning about the lethal nature of the laced drugs. The agency later updated the warning, stating that six out of ten fake prescription medications contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

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