‘Zombie drug’ animal tranquilizer killing more people in South Carolina than ever before, officials say

By Peyton Furtado

Click here for updates on this story

    GREENVILLE COUNTY, South Carolina (WYFF) — According to South Carolina experts, a drug used to tranquilize animals like horses, cattle, and zoo animals has made its way onto the streets and is killing more people than ever before.

The drug is called xylazine, but it’s known as tranq to its human users. Statewide, DHEC says 11 people died from the drug back in 2019. Last year, that number skyrocketed to 178.

When used by humans, tranq is called the zombie drug for good reason. Taking the animal tranquilizer can cause long-term effects like abscesses, infections, and rotting flesh.

“So essentially, the skin is dying. The skin is dying, and it starts to rot away,” said Shelton England, Greenville County’s senior deputy coroner.

Tranq can extend the user’s high and is cheap to make. With similar side effects while using, it’s often mixed with fentanyl, a drug responsible for more than 95 percent of Greenville County’s overdose deaths.

“A decrease in respiration, and decrease in heart rate, a decrease in blood pressure, which are all side effects also from the fentanyl. So now you’re increasing that, and when you put the two together, you’re increasing the possibility of death,” England said.

One big difference: Narcan, the medicine used to counter opioid overdoses, does not work on xylazine. There’s no approved way to reverse the animal tranquilizer’s overdose effects on humans. And oftentimes, those who overdose didn’t know tranq was in their drug.

“When you buy something from the street illicitly, you really don’t know what you’re getting,” said David Owens, a detective with Greenville’s Drug Enforcement Unit.

Owens said illicit xylazine often comes from the same place as illicit fentanyl, from drug cartels. It’s not just a local problem, it’s an international one.

In 2021, four people died from tranq-related overdoses. In 2022, that number shot up 2022 to 21.

We reached out to several other counties in our viewing area. Spartanburg and Laurens counties have also seen deaths related to tranq. Both Anderson and Greenwood Counties said they’re preparing to see deaths from the drug soon.

Lawmakers are considering making Xylazine a schedule three drug.

“They’re considering an emergency order to do it while the legislature is out of session,” said Boyd Parr, vice president of the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians.

If that happens, Parr says veterinarians may no longer have access to the drug for their animal patients.

“It is a prescription veterinary drug that is used as a sedative, tranquilizer, pain reliever, in horses, cattle, also, people don’t recognize this as much, but various wildlife and zoo animals. And there are very few alternatives,” Parr said.

If you or a loved one needs medical attention from drug use or overdose, you will not be arrested for calling in the case of an emergency and asking for help.

You can get overdose kits, Narcan, and xylazine and fentanyl testing strips from the health department, no questions asked.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.