The death of a 43-year-old man in the UK has been linked to the “zombie” drug xylazine, which is commonly known as a large-animal tranquilizer but is now being found in heroin.
“A really concerning drug” is what UK experts are calling it.
This is the first reported death associated with xylazine use in the UK and Europe, signaling its entry into the country’s drug supply.
According to the coroner’s report, Karl Warburton, of Solihull, West Midlands, died in May 2022 at home and had a history of using illegal drugs.
He had previously received several referrals to addiction treatment centers.
He had xylazine, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin in his system, according to a physical examination.
A report on his death in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine states that he was “likely to have bought heroin and not known it was laced with xylazine and fentanyl”.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first death associated with xylazine use reported in the UK, and even Europe, and indicates the entry of xylazine into the UK drug supply,” it adds.
Xylazine, also referred to as “tranq” or “tranq dope” when mixed with heroin and fentanyl by drug dealers, has been causing significant problems in the US, where it is an emerging threat in fatal overdoses.
The presence of xylazine in the UK drug supply is not widely known as it is not included in standard drug screenings.
Experts are warning drug users about the dangers of xylazine and the lack of a safe dose in humans.
“The drug is not included in standard drug screens in the UK, so we don’t know how widespread the xylazine problem is,” said Dr Caroline Copeland, King’s College London lecturer and director of the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths.
“We need to find out how that person ended up with it in his system.”
Further investigation is needed to understand how this drug ended up in the man’s system and the extent of its presence in the UK.
Source-BBC
