The “tranq” drug is taking a costly toll in Philadelphia, and video footage posted Thursday shows those caught in its grip.
The Kensington area is apparently filled with people slumped over and passed out, the New York Post reported Saturday, citing video footage shared by TikTok user urbanvisuals2.0.
In the clip, individuals are being recorded standing or sitting motionless on the sidewalk that is scattered with debris:
@urbanvisuals2.0 #kensingtonphilly #philadelphia #philadelphia #kensington #kensingtonphiladelphia
♬ original sound – Urban Visuals 2.0
The city has been grappling with a rise in addicts using the drug called Xylazine which is also referred to as “tranq.”
The Post described it as “a deadly sedative used to enhance the effects of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.”
In April, U.S. government officials deemed Xylazine an “emerging threat” and asked Congress for additional funds to push back against the drug connected to overdose deaths, according to AFP.
Meanwhile, authorities in Los Angeles have been warning citizens about the “zombie drug” that can eat a person’s flesh.
“Addicts who use it can reportedly experience side effects such as their skin and muscle rotting,” per Breitbart News.
Some “tranq” users are also having to undergo amputations, ABC 6 reported in September.
The outlet also noted that “officials say drug suppliers are lacing the fentanyl and heroin supply with the animal tranquilizer because it is cheap and easy to get.”
Now, Philadelphia’s health officials are lamenting the fact the city is suffering under the epidemic, admitting that Xylizine has hit the area “particularly hard” with more overdose deaths and “severe wounds that can lead to sepsis and amputation.”
For a long time, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) has said incarceration should not be an option for drug addicts, the Inquirer reported in December 2019.
“Now he’s putting that philosophy into action. His office has quietly launched an interim version of an unprecedented ‘diversion’ program, in which prosecutors simply withdraw charges for those who show proof they’re in drug treatment,” the article said.
According to Krasner’s campaign website, “The office has stopped prosecuting nearly all simple drug possession cases.”
Meanwhile, the drug problem is still plaguing the area and Philadelphia sent out teams in March to help opioid and “tranq” addicts, according to NBC News:
A man in Kensington said he was searching for his daughter who is an opioid addict, noting she had been missing for several weeks.
“She had got about nine months clean and just took a turn for the worse. I just need to know that she’s still amongst the living. I just don’t know what else to do,” he said as tears fell from his eyes.
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