‘Tranq’ drug wreaks havoc in Philadelphia as addictions rise
The ‘tranq’ drug is wreaking costly havoc in Philadelphia, and video footage released Thursday shows those caught in its grip.
The Kensington area is apparently filled with slumped and passed out people, the New York Post reported on Saturday, citing video footage shared by TikTok user urbanvisuals2.0.
In the clip, individuals are filmed standing or sitting motionless on the debris-strewn sidewalk:
@urbanvisuals2.0 #kensingtonphilly #philadelphia #philadelphia #kensington #kensingtonphiladelphia
♬ original sound – Urban Visuals 2.0
The city is struggling with an increase in the number of drug addicts using the drug called Xylazine, also known as “tranq”.
THE Job described it as “a deadly sedative used to enhance the effects of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl”.
In April, US government officials deemed xylazine an “emerging threat” and appealed to Congress for additional funding to tackle the drug linked to overdose deaths, according to AFP.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles authorities have warned citizens about the “zombie drug” that can eat a person’s flesh.
“Addicts who use it may experience side effects such as rotting of their skin and muscles,” according to Breitbart News.
Some “tranq” users also have to undergo amputations, ABC 6 reported in September.
The outlet also noted that “officials say drug suppliers are mixing the supply of fentanyl and heroin with the animal tranquilizer because it’s cheap and easy to get.”
Now Philadelphia health officials are lamenting that the city is suffering from the outbreak, admitting that xylizine has hit the region “particularly hard” with more overdose deaths and “severe injuries that can lead to sepsis and amputation”.
For a long time, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) said incarceration should not be an option for drug addicts, the Applicant reported in December 2019.
“Now he is putting that philosophy into action. His office has quietly launched a draft version of an unprecedented ‘diversion’ program, in which prosecutors simply drop charges for those who show evidence they are in drug treatment,” the article said.
According to Krasner’s campaign website, “The bureau has stopped prosecuting nearly all simple drug possession cases.”
Meanwhile, the drug problem is still rampant in the area, and Philadelphia sent teams in March to help opioid and “tranq” addicts, according to NBC News:
A Kensington man said he was looking for his daughter who is addicted to opioids, noting she had been missing for several weeks.
“She had had about nine months clean and it just got worse. I just need to know that she’s still among the living. I just don’t know what else to do,” he said as tears streamed from his eyes.
Breitbart News
