The United States government officially described this Wednesday as an “emerging threat” in the country fentanyl adulterated or mixed with xylazine, a potent animal sedative used as a drug.
The White House said in a statement that this new designation comes after evaluating the impact of xylazine on the opioid crisis and its growing role in overdose deaths “in all regions of the United States.”
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The director of the White House anti-drug policy, Rahul Gupta, indicated that with this designation the Joe Biden Administration “is being proactive” in its approach to saving lives and create new public health and safety tools.
His cabinet, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), has among its missions the monitoring new trends in drug use and the establishment of criteria that allow it to be classified as an emerging threat.
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The mixture of fentanyl with xylazine falls into that category because is being sold “illegally” and is linked “with significant negative consequences rapidly worsening health conditions,” including “fatal overdoses and severe morbidity.
The White House recalls that, according to data from the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), deaths from xylazine overdose increased 1,127% in the South between 2020 and 2021, 750% in the West, more than 500% in the Midwest and more than 100% in the Northeast.
Fentanyl is one of the most dangerous drugs due to its potential to generate addiction and lead to the death of those who consume it. In the Government of Mexico we are determined to solve this public health problem with an emphasis on prevention. pic.twitter.com/nfghp7uISE
— Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez (@HLGatell) April 11, 2023
“While the national numbers of overdose deaths have flattened or declined for seven consecutive months, xylazine is complicating efforts to reverse opioid overdoses“said the US Presidency.
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After the declaration of that drug as an emerging threat, the Biden Administration will launch a strategy that includes prevention based on data existing, treatment and supply reduction.
US authorities they already put xylazine in their sights last March with the partial ban on its importation.
That drug has since been subject to increased scrutiny. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whose staff may stop a shipment of the product if its legitimate veterinary use is not properly established.
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The announcement on Wednesday comes a day after the United States indicated that will reinforce its strategy against the consumption and trafficking of fentanyl from Mexico, after weeks of criticism and cross statements with the neighboring country about the fight against this synthetic drug.
This Wednesday, a delegation from the Mexican government, headed by the Secretary for Citizen Security and Protection, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, is traveling to Washington to hold a meeting with US and Canadian officials meeting on fentanyl trafficking and on other issues such as migration or weapons.
EFE
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