A new study by King’s College London, published on Wednesday, the 10th of April, found that xylazine – an animal tranquilliser nicknamed the “zombie drug” because it causes open ulcers on the skin – has been spreading in the UK illicit drugs market, appearing in fake marijuana vapes and codeine and Valium pills, reports Politico.
The published research identified xylazine in samples from 16 individuals in the U.K., 11 of whom had died between December 2022 and August 2023.
The study warned that xylazine is spreading in the UK illicit drug market.
“Urgent action is needed to protect both heroin users and the wider population of drug users from the acute and chronic health problems it causes,” the study said.
The presence of xylazine in Europe worsens the continent’s illicit drug problem.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration has documented cases of xylazine being mixed with opioids such as fentanyl. This combination can dangerously slow breathing and heart rate, so its prevalence in the US has further exacerbated the devastating opioid epidemic.
Xylazine is still a relatively new threat to Europe and has not yet caused as widespread chaos as in the US. According to a study published last year, the death of a 43-year-old man in May 2022 in the UK was the first death linked to xylazine use outside North America.
But drug trafficking has exploded in Europe, sparking violent wars between criminal organisations fighting for control of the profitable illegal market, worth an estimated 30 billion euros a year.
European Union drug experts have warned that xylazine is becoming increasingly common in Eastern Europe.
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) reported that xylazine was found in 13% of syringes collected in Riga, with the Estonian police starting to seize the drug in 2022.
The EMCDDA has highlighted xylazine and new synthetic opioids as a new threat, pointing out that they are potent and only a small amount of the drug is needed to produce large numbers of doses, putting users at risk of life-threatening intoxication.
Caroline Copeland, author of the study, stresses that it is important for policy makers to take action to prevent xylazine-related deaths in Europe.
She advocates for testing to be made available and for healthcare providers to be more aware of chronic skin ulcers that may be indicative of xylazine use.
Her co-author, Adam Holland from the University of Bristol, said the growing dangers of xylazine reinforce the need to revisit laws that penalise drug use and to expand harm reduction measures such as drug testing and overdose prevention centres to improve the safety of drug users.
Also read: Europol: there are 831 crime groups in Europe, Baltic criminal groups included
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