Pain-relieving sedative is being mixed with dangerous drugs

The South Carolina state health agency, DHEC, issued a public health order last week about xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer known as “tranq”.  DHEC’s board voted to defer scheduling of the drug as a controlled substance to allow lawmakers to control the substance without disrupting veterinary practices.  Xylazine, a long-acting sedative with pain-relieving and muscle relaxant properties used as a tranquilizer for large animals, is most commonly found mixed with heroin, cocaine, and illicitly made fentanyl.  According to the CDC, it can cause sedation, difficulty breathing, dangerously low-blood pressure, slowed heart rate, wounds than can become infected, severe withdrawal symptoms and death when taken by humans.  “SLED” chief Mark Keel says, “Xylazine is pouring into this country at a rate never seen before.”