COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Drug Enforcement Administration said the flow of the drug fentanyl continues to get worse and now it's being mixed with a drug sometimes known as the "zombie drug."
Columbus police said the drug has been reported here in Ohio.
For the last several years, the Columbus Police Crime Laboratory has encountered xylazine mixed with fentanyl or fentanyl-related substances.
The drug wasn't deemed as a controlled substance until March 29 of this year, and since then, police say the drug has been reported 72 times by the Laboratory.
"It was designed for veterinary use, so it is not meant for human consumption it has not been tested on humans,” said Fran Gerbig, the executive director of Prevention Action Alliance, a recovery facility.
She said the drug is known on the streets as “tranq” or the “zombie drug.”
The drug is known to cause heart rates to slow down to sometimes deadly levels.
It even causes skin abscesses and ulcers that could require amputation.
"In the midst of the opioid epidemic and the use of fentanyl is that it's being mixed with substances,” said Gerbig.
Michelle Spahn is the assistant special agent in charge of the DEA.
She said seven out of every 10 pills seized on the street that are submitted to their lab and are tested contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, and that includes xylazine.
"Many times, when someone dies of drug poisoning it is a contributing factor to their fentanyl or xylazine,” said Spahn.
As the problem continues to get worse, Gerbig said that’s why facilities like hers are more important now than ever.
"Everybody has the right to live their best lives and there really is no in your best life for substance misuse,” said Gerbig.
Gerbig said it’s important for people to recognize the signs if people are in distress, like low breathing levels if they are unresponsive.