DEA Releases Threat Report Showing Rise in Use of Dangerous Drugs

The Drug Enforcement Agency has released a report for law enforcement highlighting enduring and emerging threats, especially in the area of illegal and dangerous drugs.

The report, State and Territory Report and Enduring and Emerging Threats (STREET), shows:

Enduring Threats:

• Fentanyl is the primary driver behind the ongoing epidemic of overdose deaths in the United States.
• Fentanyl is increasingly being mixed with other illicit drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine
• Deaths from psychostimulants (primarily methamphetamine) have sharply increased in the past five years.

Emerging Threats:

• Xylazine, a potent animal tranquilizer, is primarily added to fentanyl and other opioids to enhance their effects. It is also known as “tranq.”
• Xylazine is not an opioid, so naloxone/Narcan does not reverse its effects. It is also not a controlled substance under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
• Xylazine has been encountered in combination with fentanyl, but has also been detected in mixtures containing cocaine and heroin.
• Nitazenes (2-benzylbenzimidazoles) are an emerging synthetic opioid group that can be more potent than fentanyl and poses an additional opioid threat to the United States.

Please visit DEA.gov for more information.