> Drug suppliers have increasingly adulterated fentanyl with xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that causes ghastly flesh wounds.
The scary phrase about what xylazine does seems out of place in the article. I think the inclusion of the phrase means this is still a moral panic article. I'll also note that it talks about a large drop in overdose deaths in 2024, mentioning Trump 3 times, and Biden once.
I don’t think this is a moral panic article. There is a drop in seizures. What could cause that? The article goes into many possible causes:
Maybe the cartels are sneaking it through another way,
Increased border security,
Crackdown on chemical precursors out of China,
Turmoil within the cartel primarily responsible for smuggling it,
Adulteration of the drug (including with a tranquilizer which might cause a behavior change which reduces consumption patterns),
Opioid overdoses causing a drop in demand,
Change in usage type (away from injection),
Increased access to overdose treatment drugs,
A demographic shift (younger people are less likely to be users)
Overall a well reasoned analysis of the possible causes.
https://archive.ph/rSxSB
> Drug suppliers have increasingly adulterated fentanyl with xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that causes ghastly flesh wounds.
The scary phrase about what xylazine does seems out of place in the article. I think the inclusion of the phrase means this is still a moral panic article. I'll also note that it talks about a large drop in overdose deaths in 2024, mentioning Trump 3 times, and Biden once.
I don’t think this is a moral panic article. There is a drop in seizures. What could cause that? The article goes into many possible causes: Maybe the cartels are sneaking it through another way, Increased border security, Crackdown on chemical precursors out of China, Turmoil within the cartel primarily responsible for smuggling it, Adulteration of the drug (including with a tranquilizer which might cause a behavior change which reduces consumption patterns), Opioid overdoses causing a drop in demand, Change in usage type (away from injection), Increased access to overdose treatment drugs, A demographic shift (younger people are less likely to be users)
Overall a well reasoned analysis of the possible causes.