Xylazine in Connecticut: What You Need to Know - a message from The Governor's Prevention Partnership

A deadly combination of fentanyl and xylazine is on the rise. The Drug Enforcement Agency has warned that fentanyl-xylazine mixtures have been found in all but two states. Here in Connecticut, roughly 25% of all fentanyl-related overdoses also involve xylazine.

"Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier." - DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. 

What is Xylazine, and Why is it so Dangerous?

Xylazine is a potent sedative approved for veterinary use. Also known as "Tranq," this deadly drug amplifies the effects, and dangers, of fentanyl. Combined with fentanyl, xylazine intensifies the impact of fentanyl on the body's ability to keep breathing. It's not an opioid and cannot be counteracted by the lifesaving drug naloxone. 

Learn More: Fentanyl and Xylazine Tip Sheets

It's never been more critical for parents and other caring adults to be able to talk to the young people in their lives about the dangers of substance use. Saying, "just don't do it," isn't enough. The Partnership works to provide tools and strategies to equip adults for these often-challenging conversations.

Find more resources at https://www.preventionworksct.org/resources.

Tools for Parents and Caring Adults

It's never been more critical for parents and other caring adults to be able to talk to the young people in their lives about the dangers of substance use. Saying, "just don't do it," isn't enough. The Partnership works to provide tools and strategies to equip adults for these often-challenging conversations.