The Lake Havasu City Police Department would like to inform the community that a new illegal drug trend has appeared in the community. The counterfeit drug commonly identified as fentanyl pills, or M30s, is now being manufactured with a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer called xylazine.

Xylazine is an FDA-approved sedative and pain reliever used in veterinary medicine and not safe for human consumption. It acts as a central nervous system depressant that can cause drowsiness and amnesia, and slows breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure to dangerous levels, making it hard to distinguish an opioid overdose from a xylazine exposure.

While Narcan can be used in an attempt to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, it may not be able to reverse the effects of xylazine as it is a non-opioid medication.

If you would like to know more about fentanyl or xylazine, you can visit the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s website or the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Public Information Officer: Detective Chris Angus