Mexican health officials have raised concerns following a study revealing the presence of the animal tranquilizer Xylazine in opioids in cities along the country's northwest border with the United States. Referred to colloquially as "tranq dope" and "zombie drug" in English, the addition of Xylazine to heroin and fentanyl has exacerbated the opioid crisis, particularly in US cities like Philadelphia.
On April 8, Mexico's health ministry and the Mental Health and Addiction Commission (CONASAMA) issued an alert to health personnel and first responders in Mexican border cities, warning of possible adulteration of heroin and fentanyl with Xylazine. Since Xylazine is a sedative rather than an opioid, its presence can reduce the effectiveness of opioid overdose reversal treatments and increase the risk of fatal drug poisoning. Additionally, it can cause severe skin abscesses that pose life-threatening complications.
Xylazine is strictly approved for use in animals, not humans, both in Mexico and the United States. The government's alert was prompted by a study that examined 300 drug residue samples in the cities of Tijuana and Mexicali, revealing Xylazine as an adulterant in 35 heroin residues mixed with fentanyl and 26 fentanyl residues. The ongoing study, funded by Mexico's National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), aimed to identify adulterants in drugs, with Xylazine's presence being an unexpected discovery.
This alert coincides with indications that the consumption of fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid responsible for tens of thousands of fatal overdoses annually in the United States, is spreading within Mexico's borders. The findings underscore the urgency of addressing drug adulteration and the growing threat of fentanyl within Mexico's illicit drug market.
