Xylazine
Category: Depressant
Also know as:
tranq, tranq dope
Summary
Xylazine is a powerful and dangerous anaesthetic that relaxes the muscles and causes severe drowsiness. It is often mixed with opioids like heroin and nitazenes, and has been found in other illicit drugs like benzodiazepines and THC vapes.
If a drug contains xylazine, because it’s not what’s expected and could have different effects, there is an increased risk of harm, overdose and death.
How it’s taken
Most of the time, people aren’t aware that xylazine has been mixed into the drug that they think they’re taking. This makes it even more dangerous and significantly increases the risk of overdose.
Xylazine can be:
- Snorted up the nose
- Swallowed as powder wrapped in a cigarette paper (also called ‘bombing’)
- Smoked in a cigarette
- Injected*
*Injecting is particularly dangerous and increases risks including infection with Blood Borne Viruses (BBVs) like Hepatitis C or HIV.
Effects
| Xylazine can make you feel very tired.
It can also:
This can lead to coma, and in some cases, can be fatal. How long the effects last depends on several factors, including your age, weight and metabolism, what you have already taken, the purity of the drug, and the dose. Generally speaking, if it’s not mixed with another drug, the effects start a few minutes after using, and can last for four hours or even longer depending on the dose you have taken. |
Risks
Xylazine can cause severe skin damage and open wounds, regardless of how it is taken. Wounds caused by xylazine use spread and worsen very quickly. These wounds may appear on any part of the body, and it’s very difficult for them to heal on their own, so it is important to get medical attention for them as soon as possible.
Legal status
Xylazine is a Class C drug, which means it’s illegal to be found carrying or using it. The legal term for this is possession. The maximum sentence for possession of a Class C drug is up to two years in prison, a fine or both.
It’s also illegal to give away or sell xylazine. This is known as supply, and is a more serious offence than possession. It can be considered supply if you give your friend some or share some with them, and this could get you time in prison, an unlimited fine or both.