‘Tranq’: The street drug designated as an ’emerging threat to the US’ by the White House
A street drug which rots the skin of those who use it has been designated an “emerging threat to the nation” by the White House.
The unprecedented announcement, by the Biden administration’s Office for National Drug Control Policy, reflects the alarming speed at which ‘Tranq’ is spreading across America.
Last month, Sky News revealed the impact Tranq – a mixture of the opioid fentanyl and the animal tranquiliser Xylazine – is having on communities in Philadelphia.
Since then, data suggests use of the drug is spreading rapidly all over the country.
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New drug rotting user’s skin
Speaking to reporters, the head of the White House Office for National Drug Control Policy, Dr. Rahul Gupta expressed alarm at the prevalence of the cocktail.
“I’m deeply concerned about what this threat means for the nation,” he said, adding: “This is the first time in our nation’s history that a substance is being designated as an emerging threat by any administration,”
In a special report filmed over a series of days last month, Sky News examined the impact the drug is having on a community in the north-eastern city of Philadelphia where the cocktail first emerged.
With help from volunteer medics and outreach workers we were shown the horrific wounds caused by the drug which is smoked, snorted or injected. Unusually the wounds appear randomly on the body.
Frequently, they are deep, they heal slowly and in many cases they lead to amputation.
Wounds appear randomly on the body of ‘Tranq’ users
Health officials in Philadelphia, speaking to Sky News last month, admitted they do not have a grip of their city’s crisis and warned that it would spread to other parts of the country.
Newly analysed data now shows a 1000% increase in overdoses linked to Tranq in southern American states suggesting a rapid and alarming spread.
The US is already experiencing a drug overdose crisis with the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Overdoses have surged to more than 100,000 a year.
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What is ‘Tranq’? The new drug emerging in America
Dealers are now cutting, or mixing, fentanyl with Xylazine creating the ‘Tranq’ cocktail to lower their costs and increase demand.
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Users told Sky News that the new cocktail increases their addiction levels driving them to more hits a day.
White House officials formally notified Congress about the public health threat on Wednesday and say they will roll out a plan to tackle the crisis over the next 90 days.
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Measures are likely to include more testing for users so they can identify if Xylazine is contained in their drug supply. Dr Gupta has also called for more funding for accessible treatment for users.
In Philadelphia, users told us adequate and accessible treatment was not easily available. America’s insurance-based health system significantly complicates the challenge.
Xylazine is readily available to dealers on the open market. It is used legally by veterinarians as an animal tranquilizer.
The Drug Policy Alliance advocates for harm reduction but also highlights the harm caused by drug prohibition.
In a statement, they told Sky News: “The Biden Administration must learn from the mistakes of the past.
“Crackdowns on prescription opioids and heroin created the conditions for fentanyl analogues to flourish and overtake the drug supply.
“And now history is once again repeating itself, with newer, potentially more harmful substances like Xylazine popping up and already overtaking some markets.
“Make no mistake, focusing on supply-side interdiction will only dig us deeper into this crisis and inevitably result in more loss of life.”
The United States and European Union have agreed a trade deal, says Donald Trump.
The announcement was made as the US president met European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at one of his golf resorts in Scotland.
Speaking after talks in Turnberry, Mr Trump said the EU deal was the “biggest deal ever made” and it will be “great for cars”.
The US will impose 15% tariffs on EU goods into America, after Mr Trump had threatened a 30% levy.
He said there will be an EU investment of $600bn in the US, the bloc will buy $750bn in US energy and will also purchase US military equipment.
Mr Trump had earlier said the main sticking point was “fairness”, citing barriers to US exports of cars and agriculture.
He went into the talks demanding fairer trade with the 27-member EU and threatening steep tariffs to achieve that, while insisting the US will not go below 15% import taxes.
For months, Mr Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in the hope of shrinking major US trade deficits with many key trading partners, including the EU.
Ms von der Leyen said the agreement would include 15% tariffs across the board, saying it would help rebalance trade between the two large trading partners.
In case there was no deal and the US had imposed 30% tariffs from 1 August, the EU has prepared counter-tariffs on €93bn (£81bn) of US goods.
Ahead of their meeting on Sunday, Ms von der Leyen described Mr Trump as a “tough negotiator and dealmaker”.
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At least 11 people have been stabbed at a Walmart supermarket in Michigan, with six in a critical condition.
Officials say a suspect is in custody – and at this stage, it is believed the attack was a “random act” that involved a folding-style knife near the checkout area.
Sheriff Michael Shea told reporters: “Eleven is 11 too many, but thank God it wasn’t more.”
Pic: AP
The suspect, who is from Michigan, is not known to police – and was captured within three minutes thanks to “citizen involvement”.
The attack unfolded in Traverse City – and Tiffany DeFell, who was in the car park at the time, described scenes of chaos.
“It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,” she said. “This is something you see out of the movies.”
Beyond the six people in a critical condition, it is believed the remaining five were seriously hurt. All 11 are still being treated in hospital.
Pic: AP
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said: “Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence.”
A Walmart spokesperson added that the retailer is working closely with law enforcement.
“Violence like this is unacceptable. Our thoughts are with those who were injured and we’re thankful for the swift action of first responders,” a statement said.
Pic: AP
At this stage, the ages of the victims is unclear – but it is not thought any of the victims were Walmart employees.
Traverse City is about 255 miles northwest of Detroit.
A US passenger plane made a dramatic plunge minutes after take-off to dodge another aircraft – injuring two cabin crew and causing passengers to shoot out of their seats.
The Southwest flight had just taken off from Burbank in California when the pilot received an alert about a nearby plane.
Data from FlightAware shows the aircraft dropped by 91m (300ft) in just 36 seconds. Those on board said they felt panicked, and some feared the plane was about to crash.
Comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X: “Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid mid-air collision … myself and plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention.”
Stef Zambrano saw a woman who wasn’t wearing her seatbelt thrown out of her seat, who then said: “I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground.”
Another passenger, Steve Ulasewicz, told NBC Los Angeles that it felt like the plane was in freefall for 10 seconds.
“People were screaming. You know, it was pandemonium. People thought the plane was going down,” he added.
The aircraft was able to continue to its destination of Las Vegas, where it safely landed without any further incident.
It is believed the Boeing 737 was in the same vicinity as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British fighter jet.
Southwest is now working with the Federal Aviation Administration “to further understand the circumstances” of the event.
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January: Footage of Washington plane crash
This is the second time in a week that a passenger plane has had to make abrupt flight manoeuvres to avoid a potential mid-air collision.
Concerns have been raised about aviation safety in the US following a series of recent incidents.
In January, a mid-air collision in Washington DC killed 67 people.
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