Deaths from xylazine are on the rise. The White House has a new plan to tackle it
Deepa Shivaram | NPR
The White House is marshaling a new plan to try to beef up testing, tracking and treatment for street drugs laced with xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that has contributed to a surge of overdose deaths across the country.
The administration listed xylazine combined with fentanyl as an emerging threat back in April. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that last year, the veterinary drug was linked to nearly 11% of all fentanyl overdoses.
Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said xylazine has now been detected in nearly every state.
