While our state lawmakers have found the time to pass legislation legalizing and regulating marijuana, these same Albany politicians are turning a blind eye to a new and deadly drug that has been increasingly finding itself mixed with poisonous drugs peddled on our streets every day.
This deadly drug is xylazine, known on the streets as “tranq.”
Xylazine is used by veterinarians for sedation, anesthesia, muscle relaxation and pain treatment in powerful large animals such as horses and cattle.
Xylazine is legal in New York and is not meant for human consumption as it has tremendously dangerous effects on humans should they ingest it.
Alarmingly, drug dealers have been using it as a cheap “cutting agent,” mixing it with fentanyl and other drugs to intensify the effects of the drugs while increasing their illegal profits.
Even more dangerous
Vulnerable drug users are unknowingly ingesting xylazine, which enhances the dangers already posed by fentanyl and other dangerous drugs.
Tranq use can cause skin sores and users sometimes develop necrosis, making resuscitation efforts more difficult, as well as producing a withdrawal syndrome that makes it more difficult for addicts to get clean.
In New York state, because it is not a controlled substance, drug dealers can possess and sell xylazine, regardless of weight whether they have 8 ounces or 80 pounds.
Not only does this mean that prosecutors cannot seek bail on cases involving xylazine, but because it is not a controlled substance, law enforcement also cannot prevent its sale on our streets.
Selling baby aspirin is no different than selling xylazine under state law.
Because it is not a controlled substance in New York, our crime labs cannot test for the presence of xylazine in seized drugs. Instead, xylazine is discovered when a drug user dies and a toxicologically screening is conducted.
Not surprisingly, the Suffolk County Medical Examiner has seen a rise in fatal overdoses over the past three years that have included xylazine as a component.
This year alone, over 20 fatal overdoses have been attributed to xylazine in Suffolk County — and that number is climbing.
Our legislators need to act.
Xylazine needs to be made illegal and bail laws need to be fixed so prosecutors can ask for bail for tranq dealers.
While they are at it, prosecutors still cannot ask for bail for methamphetamine and for fentanyl dealers unless they possess enough fentanyl to kill over 134,000 people.
‘Death by Dealer’
Last year, over 400 fatal overdoses occurred in Suffolk County. That means more than one person dies each day from a drug overdose in the county. This is unacceptable.
By making common sense changes to our state’s failed “bail reform” laws, criminalizing xylazine and other emerging drugs, and passing a “Death by Dealer” statute, New York can turn the tide on this wave of tragedy.
It is up to Gov. Hochul and the New York state Legislature to either act or explain why they refuse to do so.
The lives of New Yorkers depend on it. We are all waiting.
Ray Tierney is the district attorney of Suffolk County. He has been a prosecutor for over 30 years.
