Santa Cruz County on high alert after first death linked to animal tranquilizer xylazine

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- The County of Santa Cruz Coroner's Office has confirmed its first death linked to an animal tranquilizer. The Biden administration declared fentanyl laced with xylazine to be an emerging threat facing the United States last week.

A 35-year-old woman reportedly died of xylazine poisoning after being found unresponsive in Santa Cruz in early June. An autopsy was conducted and she tested positive for drugs including xylazine and fentanyl after a postmortem toxicology.

Xylazine, also known as tranq, is a veterinary tranquilizer with no approved human use and has seen an uptick in drug supplies across the country. This is leading to deadly overdoses and serious wounds.

"We know that it first started in the East Coast and that it moved across the country, and this is a reminder that we know that we're finding xylazine in the drugs that people are taking here in our community," said Lisa Hernandez, Public Health Officer for the County of Santa Cruz.

DEA lab system reports show that, in 2022, approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized contained xylazine. People who use xylazine may develop severe wounds, including necrosis—the rotting of human tissue that may lead to amputation, said the Attorney General in Florida.

"Xylazine is added to fentanyl to extend the opioid’s euphoric effects, often without the users’ knowledge," said the county.

“This tragic event is an important alert to the community that xylazine is confirmed to be present in drugs in Santa Cruz County,” said Dr. David Ghilarducci, County of Santa Cruz EMS Medical Director. “Fentanyl, alone, is extraordinarily dangerous and is devastating communities across the country. The addition a xylazine compounds the risk of street drugs.”

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration says xylazine is often mixed with heroin and fentanyl. Naxolone can't reverse overdoses, but life saving-measures can still be administered and would not harm someone.

"It can slow down your breathing and impact your respiratory system and cause death. So that's the most important thing for people to know. The other thing is that it can cause wounds, skin wounds in people," said Hernandez.

In a statement, the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz says, "It is vital that all drug users carry naloxone.  We are working towards securing xylazine test strips but in this current unsafe drug supply we remind people to never use alone, use slowly, and have naloxone to help reduce overdose risk."

Public Health also says they have more information warning people about the dangers of xylazine use, you read it here.