The Iron Law of Prohibition strikes again. Opiates are being cut with Xylazine, a non-opiod veterinary tranquilizer which doesn’t respond to Narcan, whose side effects make fentanyl pale in comparison – one being widespread skin ulceration.
Xylazine is being used as a cutting agent for the same reason fentanyl is: the War on Drugs incentivizes a need to avoid detection, leading to drugs with less weight and volume that are easier to hide, store, and transport.
End the War on Drugs to save lives.