Flesh-rotting ‘zombie’ drug Tranq banned from today in UK

The flesh-rotting “zombie” drug Tranq, found in illicit sedatives and vapes, has been banned by the UK Government.

Laws came into force today (Wednesday, January 15) to make the animal tranquilliser xylazine a class C drug, along with making 21 other dangerous substances, the Home Office said.

Data shows there had been at least 400 drug-related deaths linked to the substance across the UK since June 2023. Government officials said the figure is expected to rise in the coming years.

Xylazine is a veterinary medicine, given to animals as a sedative before surgery, but there has been a significant rise in human use over the past six years, according to Drug Science.

The drug gained its zombie nickname because it lowers the heart and breathing rate to dangerous levels, often rendering users seemingly lifeless in the street.

It can cause skin lesions, vulnerability to violence and withdrawal symptoms – as well as an increased risk of overdose and death when taken in combination with fentanyl or heroin, known as “tranq dope”.

The Home Office says xylazine has “increasingly been used in combination with opioids such as heroin as a cheap means of stretching out each dose” as well as being found in vapes containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

Xylazine has also been found in counterfeit prescription drugs such as codeine, alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium) tablets.

Use of the drug swept across the United States, with the number of overdoses linked to its use soaring within three years from 102 in 2018 to 3,468 in 2021.

Research from King’s College London has found that its presence has also been steadily growing in the UK, causing multiple deaths since 2022, when the first fatality was identified.

Experts have criticised the Home Office's move and warn the the ban is "unlikely to substantially reduce deaths in the UK unless it is part of a broader public health strategy," according to Dr Rayyan Zafar, Neuropsychopharmacologist and Senior Researcher Imperial College London and Drug Science.

"While criminalising the substance may disrupt its availability in the short term, it is unlikely to eliminate its presence entirely, especially given the dynamics of the illicit drug market. If demand persists, suppliers will likely replace xylazine with alternative cutting agents, which could be equally harmful or even more toxic.

"One significant challenge is that xylazine is often used as an adulterant in opioids like heroin or fentanyl, meaning users might not even be aware they are consuming it. Without widespread access to drug-checking services, individuals remain in the dark about what they’re taking, increasing the risk of overdose and other harms," Dr Zafar told Manchester Evening News.

The ban followed a recommendation from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), but Dr Zafar says criminalising a drug is not the best way to reduce its harm to society.

"Criminalising substances alone has historically failed to address the root causes of drug misuse and has often exacerbated harms by driving the drug trade further underground.

"If the ban is not coupled with a comprehensive harm reduction strategy—including increased funding for drug-checking services, better access to healthcare for people who use drugs, and widespread education about the risks of xylazine—it may have limited impact.

"History shows us that prohibition often leads to the development of alternative, potentially more dangerous substancs or adulterants."

Six other drugs will be made class A drugs, under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, meaning dealers face a life sentence, an unlimited fine or both. Users risk up to seven years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.

Another 15 will be made class C drugs, resulting in a prison sentence of up to 14 years, an unlimited fine, or both, for anyone caught producing or supplying them.

Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “Synthetic drugs cause devastation wherever they are found – to individuals, to families, to our town centres and our communities.

“I have been concerned about the growing presence of these drugs on UK streets and I don’t think enough has been done in recent years to get a grip on it.

“Stepping up efforts to tackle this threat will form a key part of this Government’s approach to drugs, which we hope to set out later this year.”

Vets will still be able to legally prescribe xylazine but it will be an offence to possess or supply it for other means without a lawful prescription or under a Home Office controlled drugs licence.