Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom is revamping his plan to combat opioid abuse as the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine, also known as “tranq,” ravages the state.
California approved $30 million to fund its production of naloxone, the anti-overdose drug used in name-brand medications like Narcan, in order to help address the state’s fentanyl epidemic, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. But fentanyl is increasingly being laced with tranq, which can make overdose treatments like naloxone less effective.
FENTANYL: Like @POTUS, CA is taking action to crack down on fentanyl. Last year, the state seized enough fentanyl to kill the population of North America, twice. There’s a lot more work to do, and we’ll work with our federal partners every step of the way. https://t.co/MwnWGB9TTC
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) February 8, 2023
“Recognizing the opioid and fentanyl crisis as a multifaceted public health and public safety issue, Governor Newsom is leading a comprehensive approach to save lives,” a spokesperson from Newsom’s office told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The Governor’s recently released Master Plan for Tackling the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis outlines aggressive steps to support overdose prevention efforts, hold the opioid pharmaceutical industry accountable, crack down on drug trafficking and raise awareness about the dangers of opioids, including fentanyl.”
“The Master Plan takes into consideration emerging threats like Xylazine (“Tranq”) and builds on the Governor’s $1 billion investment in this space — including an expansion of California National Guard-supported operations that last year led to a 594% increase in seized fentanyl. Additionally, as part of the Master Plan, through CalRx, California is seeking to contract for the development of a lower-cost nasal spray version of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone,” the spokesperson said.
Xylazine was detected in 10.9% of fentanyl overdose deaths in June 2022, compared to 1.9% in January 2019, according to the Chronicle. (RELATED: San Francisco’s Liberal DA Fails To Name A Single Case Where He Secured A Fentanyl Dealing Conviction)
Newsom called in the National Guard and various law enforcement agencies to help combat fentanyl trafficking in San Francisco in April and doubled the number of state police patrolling streets there in late June. He has also said he’s increasing anti-drug trafficking work at the San Ysidro border crossing in San Diego, a hotspot for fentanyl trafficking, according to the Chronicle.
“While we are again trying to put so much money into Narcan, there are new emerging drugs out there that are claiming lives,” Democratic California Assembly Member Jasmeet Bains, who is also an addiction doctor, said during a committee hearing on fentanyl in May, according to the Chronicle. Bains believes several recent fatal overdoses in her district in which the user died despite receiving naloxone were caused by tranq.
California’s Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly emphasized the ongoing importance of naloxone while noting that other interventions are now needed to directly deal with tranq.
“We want to make sure that naloxone is available to save a life, as it has for thousands of Californians, but that may not be the end game, that may not be enough,” he said, according to the Chronicle. “That’s where the evolving response to tranq and other (drugs that are mixed with fentanyl) needs to continue. As those opportunities emerge, I think we are certainly prepared to refine our naloxone strategy.”
This article has been updated with comment from the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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