Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. held a press conference in Manhattan Sunday to warn about "a deadly, skin-rotting zombie drug" that could make the scourge of fentanyl alone seem "tame."
"Now we all know what a scourge fentanyl has been across the New York area – New York City, Long Island, all the suburbs – but now we’re seeing a new even worse type of drug being mixed with fentanyl. It’s also mixed with heroin and other addictive substances. This new drug could be a nightmare. It’s called xylazine," Schumer said. "It’s a deadly, skin-rotting zombie drug that evil drug dealers are now mixing with fentanyl, with heroin and with other drugs. And it’s already bringing a horrific wave of death and overdose to upstate New York, and it’s on its way to New York City and Long Island where we’ve already seen it begin to rear its ugly head."
Last week, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a public safety alert reporting the widespread threat of fentanyl mixed with xylazine.
DEA administrator Anne Milgram warned the American public about "a sharp increase" in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine, also known as "Tranq," a powerful sedative that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved for veterinary use.
Xylazine, a legal drug, is used as an anesthetic for large animals, such as horses and cows, Schumer said.
"China mainly sends it to Mexico, and it comes across the border. And that’s why we need the DEA involved heavily," he said. "Because our New York City police do a very good job here, but it’s coming across the border. It’s not indigenous here. There are a few veterinarians who use it here but not many because there aren’t very many horses or cows in New York City."
