The Hill news on 13th May, 2023 Reported, When combined with illegal opioids, the flesh-eating "zombie drug" xylazine has been ravaging Los Angeles streets and has lethal, serious effects. Officials from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office have started a new programme to monitor the alarmingly high incidence of the drug, a sedative frequently used by veterinarians to anaesthetize animals.

Xylazine, also referred to as "tranq" or "tranq dope" on the streets, is showing up more frequently in the supply of illegal drugs. The chemical can be made into fake pills or sedatives by pressing it into a powder form and mixing it with illegal opiates like heroin and fentanyl.

The term "zombie drug" refers to the medications well-known ability to rot the skin. Xylazine is known to have serious side effects, including death from overdose and disfiguring effects on users who develop blisters or lose a limb.