New drug on the streets: Heroin mixed with elephant tranquilizer

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Last week we reported on the rise of heroin mixed with Fentanyl that had caused deaths across the state. Now a new heroin mix is on Ohio’s streets.

Heroin mixed with an opiate used by veterinarians as a tranquilizer for elephants has cause several overdose deaths in the state. Steve Carrel with Muskingum Behavioral Health said this combo is 100 times more powerful than the fentanyl combination.

“This is relatively new,” said Carrel. “We haven’t seen this. I’m not aware of it being here, here. “I’ve heard that it has gotten as close as Columbus, which is just down the interstate from us. It’s just a matter of time before it gets here.”

Carrel reminds those who have a loved one addicted to the drug that they should attend the ‘Project Dawn’ classes at the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department to get registered to use Naloxone, a overdose antidote. Carell said that while this drug can be hard to get your hands on, people are doing it.

“I don’t know for sure but my guess being that it is a veterinary medication, it wasn’t looked at very closely and it was probably off the radar. Now it was brought onto the radar by people dying,” said Carrel.

There have been dozens of overdoses this year alone in Ohio.