Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing a significant increase – 276 percent in 21 jurisdictions from 2019 to 2022 – in overdose deaths involving Xylazine, a nonopioid sedative that’s been detected in illicitly manufactured fentanyl drug products. Because of inconsistent testing, the numbers are likely underestimated; in 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration reported 23 percent of seized fentanyl powder and 7 percent of seized fentanyl pills contained xylazine.
