UK Government to Ban Deadly 'Zombie' Drug Found in Vapes

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The UK Government is set to ban the flesh-rotting drug xylazine, commonly known as "tranq," in a move to curb its rising use and prevent further deaths. Xylazine, a potent veterinary sedative, has become notorious for its effects on addicts, particularly in the United States, where it has been linked to nearly 3,500 deaths. Now, the drug has spread to the UK, where it has been found in vapes and is used by some illicit drug users to enhance their highs.

 

The Home Office is preparing to introduce legislation that will ban xylazine along with 21 other dangerous illegal substances. This is part of the government's broader strategy to prevent drug-related deaths and crack down on drug-dealing gangs. Experts have warned that xylazine is now "widespread" in the UK, and its impact has been devastating. Long-term users often find themselves immobilized on the streets, suffering from non-healing skin lesions, which has led to the drug being dubbed the "zombie drug."

 

Research conducted by King’s College national substance abuse team has revealed that at least 11 people in the UK have died from taking xylazine since the first recorded death of a 43-year-old man from Solihull in May 2022. In the United States, xylazine-involved overdose deaths surged from 102 to 3,468 in just three years between 2018 and 2021. The White House designated xylazine as an "emerging drug threat" in April 2023, a classification that often precedes the drug being made illegal. Xylazine has increasingly been combined with opioids such as heroin and fentanyl to extend the effects of each dose at a lower cost.

 

Under the new UK legislation, xylazine will be classified as a class C drug. This means that possession for personal use will carry a maximum prison sentence of two years, while dealing the drug could result in a sentence of up to 14 years. The UK is believed to be the first country to implement a nationwide ban on xylazine, a step that has not yet been taken in the United States, Canada, Mexico, or other countries affected by its abuse. However, some individual US states, including Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, have already implemented their own bans.

 

Diana Johnson, the UK policing minister, emphasized the government's commitment to making streets safer and protecting vulnerable individuals from the dangers of these drugs. "One of this new Government’s central missions is to make our streets safer, and we will not accept the use of substances that put lives at risk and allow drug gangs to profit from exploiting vulnerable people," she said. Johnson also pointed to the dangers of allowing the use of such drugs to grow unchecked, drawing lessons from other countries where xylazine has caused significant harm. "The criminals who produce, distribute, and profit from these drugs will therefore face the full force of the law, and the changes being introduced this week will also make it easier to crack down on those suppliers who are trying to circumvent our controls," she added.

 

Xylazine is just one of 22 harmful substances that will be banned under the new legislation, six of which will be classified as class A drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Those caught producing or supplying these class A drugs could face life imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both. Among the drugs included in the ban are variations of nitazenes, highly addictive synthetic opioids that can be hundreds of times more potent than heroin, thus significantly increasing the risk of accidental overdose.

 

Credit: Daily Telegraph 2024-09-05

 

 

 

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[bradiston]

$6 a kilo. Sheeeeit!

[john donson]

let's keep it legal... if they want to die, slowly or fast... no loss for society