The Ravages of Tranq Dope

It all started in 1996 with a pharmaceutical company promising pain relief. Three decades, and more than 650,000 deaths later, the opioid crisis in America is still going on, and indeed is even worse with the popularity of fentanyl which is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. While used cautiously for medical purposes, fentanyl has moved onto the illegal drugs market and is sold on the streets, from the cities along the east coast of the States to remote areas of West Virginia. As a synthetic drug, there is no need for poppy or coca plants as required for opium and cocaine, and the chemical substances needed are relatively easy to get in large quantities.

Philadelphia, the city renowned as the cradle of American democracy (and also famous for Rocky Balboa) now sadly epitomizes the opioid crisis in the United States. This is particularly the case for the neighborhood of Kensington, named after the long avenue with the railway line where addicts and homeless people come to get their hits.

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In a rare moment away from the violence in the neighborhood, a woman rests outside a church in a camp set up by other addicts.

Addicts, who are mostly homeless, have set up a shelter beside a disused rail link running through the neighborhood of Kensington.

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In a rare moment away from the violence in the neighborhood, a woman rests outside a church in a camp set up by other addicts.

Addicts, who are mostly homeless, have set up a shelter beside a disused rail link running through the neighborhood of Kensington.

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As drug users become increasingly dependent on fentanyl, dealers have found new options, for example mixing it with xylazine, a potent sedative used in veterinary medicine when treating large animals. This is known as “tranq dope” or “zombie drug” and enhances and prolongs the effects of fentanyl. But the users do not realize what they have been given, and soon end up addicted to the adulterated form of the drug.

As xylazine is not intended for use on humans, it soon produces radical effects, with putrid sores that had never been seen before by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. These wounds are a new complication for clinicians managing opioid users. Between 2019 and 2022, tranq-related deaths increased by 276%, and this, according to the Center for Disease Control, is a conservative estimate, and stands as clear evidence of the new and critical health emergency in the United States.

Vincent Jolly, Feature reporter, Figaro Magazine