An outreach group that helps Chatham-Kent's most vulnerable is warning a serious and dangerous street drug called xylazine, also known as Tranq, has been identified in the illicit and toxic drug supply across Chatham-Kent.
R.O.C.K. Missions and the Peer-2-Peer Group want to educate people to keep the community safe and are presenting an information session later this month in Chatham to highlight significant concerns about the additive and provide crucial information about this street drug and its effects.
The session will be held on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at the Chatham Cultural Centre, Studio One, between 5 and 8 p.m.
Xylazine or Tranq is a veterinary tranquilizer and is not approved for use in humans.
"The side effects of Xylazine can result in heavy sedation, alarming open wounds, and because it is not an opioid it does not respond to Narcan/Naloxone," said R.O.C.K Missions’ Operations Coordinator Renee Geniole in a statement on Wednesday.
Geniole is encouraging anyone in the community to attend and learn, but most especially people who support/respond to people who use substances, health care workers, pharmacists, first responders, and outreach teams.
Law enforcement in Canada and the U.S. have warned about the powerful sedative saying fentanyl is being mixed with xylazine. The American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat ever in the U.S., fentanyl, even deadlier. The DEA said it has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 States. The DEA Laboratory System is also reporting that in 2022 approximately 23 per cent of fentanyl powder and 7 per cent of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine.
Tickets to the information session are free or by donation, and are available by clicking here.
