LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Xylazine, a powerful animal tranquilizer, was detected during the sampling of illicit drugs in Clark County. The drug, also known as “tranq,” can be deadly especially when mixed with opioids such as fentanyl.

Although xylazine has not been widely reported in Nevada, the Southern Nevada Health District said in a news release that it registered three overdose deaths involving xylazine in 2023, compared to one death in 2020. The Clark County overdose death rate involving fentanyl increased by 561% from 2018 to 2023, the health district stated.

Xylazine can cause a life-threatening drop in a person’s blood to carry oxygen to tissues, severe skin ulcers, high blood sugar and less bladder control. Find out more at this link.

The samples of illicit drugs were obtained through the health district’s community surveillance program where drug paraphernalia is anonymously collected and tested. The health district said it’s important to “take extra caution” because xylazine is not an opioid so naloxone (Narcan) will not reverse the effects of the tranquilizer. The health district does provide test strips for fentanyl and xylazine without a prescription at 280 S. Decatur Blvd. and other locations.