The American authorities speak of an emerging threat. A new drug on the market wreaks havoc in the country. Nicknamed the “zombie drug”, xylazine is even more dangerous than fentanyl.
With our correspondent in New York, Loubna Anaki
It would be 50 times more powerful than heroin, 100 times more powerful than morphine. Xylazine is now thought to be responsible for a third of overdose deaths in the United States.
Originally, it is an animal tranquilizer, but its sedative power combined with an opioid gives the impression of being disconnected from reality for a long time.
Its use has exploded in recent years because of its high addictive potential and its ridiculous price: nearly 6 dollars per kilogram online.
But for the American authorities, this is a new health crisis. Because xylazine is very toxic. It can cause respiratory problems, heart problems and can even induce a coma.
Above all, it causes impressive wounds on the skin of users, such as bedsores, which are very difficult to treat. And that’s why this drug is now called the zombie drug, because of the rotting and necrotic flesh.
The United States, which is already dealing with an epidemic of opioid overdoses, has sounded the alarm for cities and states to organize themselves in the face of this new danger. The city of Philadelphia has become the epicenter of this new scourge.
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