Officials warn of tranq in drugs WSOC TV

There’s growing urgency to stop the spread of fentanyl, which is being laced with the animal tranquilizer known as tranq.

Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill said in North Carolina, the drug is mostly in Greensboro and Charlotte.

Channel 9′s Dan Matics spoke with a woman who unknowingly came into contact with the drug.

“It’s just a terrible drug,” said Louise Vincent. “It’s a veterinary drug. It’s not meant for humans.”

Vincent told Channel 9 how horrible the drug is for humans.

“It is truly one of the most difficult things I’ve had to overcome, and I’ve overcome a lot,” Vincent said.

Tranq is slang for the animal tranquilizer xylazine, which is being combined with fentanyl that’s sold on the street to mimic the effect of heroin.

Tranq causes the heart to slow down, and creates ulcers and skin lesions.

The federal government is calling the drug an emerging threat, which means it will put together a national response plan.

“I’ve seen some of the worst flesh wounds ever,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Gupta said it is often necessary to amputate limbs due to the wounds.

The DEA said the presence of tranq rose by 193% from 2020 to 2021 in the South.

Overdoses where tranq was detected increased by 1,127%.

Vincent didn’t know she was in contact with tranq, which is most often found in heroin.

Vincent said the wounds were so bad on her arm that she was forced to go to a hospital. Fortunately, doctors didn’t have to amputate.

She now helps run the North Carolina Survivors Union, which helps drug users on a path to recovery by providing food and a needle exchange program.

Vincent said more needs to be done with “boots on the ground.”

Meanwhile, health leaders at the national and state level are studying how to prevent tranq contamination.

The North Carolina Department of Health said they are monitoring tranq in communities, but it’s hard to track because it’s being used in combination with fentanyl.

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