Xylazine, a powerful veterinary tranquilizer, has been making its way into the drug market since the early 2000s, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Increased xylazine usage has been detected in Gallia County, according to health officials. Within the last year and a half, xylazine has frequently shown up in the systems of those in the county who overdosed. Dr. Glenn Fisher, the Gallia County Health Commissioner, said 75% of the overdose deaths in Gallia County within the last six to nine months have contained xylazine.
On March 29, 2023, Gov. Mike DeWine classified xylazine as a Schedule III Controlled Substance in the state of Ohio. The drug is often used as a cutting agent, mixed most often with fentanyl or heroin.
“It slows the heart rate, it slows the breathing rate, it just slows the entire central nervous system down,” Fisher said. “When you add that to fentanyl in particular, you get a two plus two equals five or six effect, so it really augments the high or whatever it is that the person who is taking the illicit drug is seeking to achieve.”
Fisher said xylazine will also typically extend the duration of a user's high. If someone uses fentanyl and might be high for about 2 to 3 hours, cutting the drug with xylazine could increase the high to about eight to 10 hours.
The usage of the veterinary drug is not limited only to Ohio. Between January 2021 and June 2022, 4,859 overdoses of illicitly manufactured fentanyl contained xylazine, according to a CDC study. The study covered 31 states across the country and Washington, D.C.
While Gallia County is one of the few Ohio counties that have come forward with xylazine concerns and statistics, Fisher said he thinks the drug is in most drug markets in Southeast Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.
“On a per capita basis, age-adjusted per capita basis, Gallia County has one of the highest overdose rates in the state of Ohio,” Fisher said. “We are working desperately to figure out how we can mitigate this, and the biggest, I think, most effective way to mitigate overdose use is to try to convince people not to do it in the first place, and then you do that by educating and making people aware of what this xylazine can do to you if you happen to get a batch.”
Another large concern surrounding xylazine is that it is not an opiate, so Narcan does not reverse the effects of the drug. Officials still recommend administering Narcan to individuals suffering from an overdose because if xylazine is mixed with an opiate, the Narcan can address it.
Fisher discussed how xylazine weighs on the physical body of a user.
“It can cause some horribly serious wound infections, skin changes and it can be with the first time you use it, and it can be with use multiple times,” Fisher said. “It can be in a site different from where you inject it. It is very hard on the skin. Obviously, our primary concern is we don't want people dying from it, but there are other health care issues that can be related to it as well.”
Olivia Skidmore is a public health nurse in Gallia County and also serves as the Integrated Harm Reduction project director. Skidmore commented on the state government's assistance in supporting Gallia County’s fight against the xylazine issue.
“The legislative is aware of the issue, and they are reaching out to find ways that they can help combat the problem that we are experiencing,” Skidmore said. “... Our entire state and individuals (should) be informed and aware of what is in the substance supply, of why xylazine is used as a cutting agent, so that we can try and combat that.”
Skimore also said the state government made it legal to use safe testing strips to test drugs for fentanyl and xylazine. She said the state assisted the Gallia County Health Department in establishing a Narcan vending machine located on state Route 7 South. The vending machine was established through Project Dawn and provides free unlimited access to Narcan and testing strips.
“We don't encourage drug abuse, but we want to educate people because we want to save lives, and if giving someone a strip allows them to test their fentanyl and keep them from taking something with xylazine, it may very well save their life,” Fisher said. “It's about saving lives and educating and eventually getting folks to the point where they decide I really don't want to do this anymore, but that's a process. It doesn't happen overnight.”
