United States DEA issues alert about widespread threat of fentanyl being mixed with sedative xylazine

Health officials in Minnesota are urging the public to be aware of the developing threat of Xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer and long-acting sedative that is not an opioid.  The Minnesota Department of Health has stated that using xylazine in combination with opioids such as fentanyl increases the risk of overdose and death.  Mower County Sheriff Steve Sandvik stated to KAUS News that the US Drug Enforcement Administration issued a recent alert about the new widespread threat of fentanyl being mixed with xylazine, which is reportedly resistant to Narcan, a drug used to counteract the effects of fentanyl…

The MDH reported that the first known xylazine-involved overdose death in Minnesota was in 2019. Since then, the number of xylazine-involved deaths have increased year over year. In 2019 there were four overdose deaths involving xylazine, in 2020 there were eight deaths, and in 2021 there were 24 deaths. The Department of Health indicated that preliminary data for 2022 shows 34 xylazine-involved deaths in Minnesota, and health experts stated that number is expected to increase as more death reports from 2022 are received.  The Department of Health added that currently, 100% of xylazine-involved deaths in Minnesota have also had fentanyl involved.