During the last decade, veterinary anaesthetics have gained popularity as recreational drugs.  In a recent report, Montgomery County Coroner Dr Kent Harshbarger is issuing a warning about a powerful new drug found in suspected overdose deaths 

Xylaine/Xylazine is an animal anaesthetic that reportedly can be used for sedation, anaesthesia, muscle relaxation, and analgesia in animals such as horses, cattle and other non-human mammals.

At Crime Labs and Coroners offices, they have seen Xylaine and Xylazine being cut in several different mixtures of cocaine and in fentanyl. Three overdose deaths in Ohio this year have also been attributed to Xylaine/Xylazine

When mixed with other drugs, it can have the effect of a speedball, a communication of a stimulant with a depressant. The user gets a larger high but with a larger risk.

Since Xylaine/Xylazine is not an opiate, the drug will not respond to Narcan like one necessarily would during an overdose.

At Gobi, we believe the most powerful tool is knowledge, like knowing the dangers of drugs, where to get help, and the options of a support system.