DHEC to require reports of “tranq” overdoses

Image: Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC)

Image: Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC)

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO)— The SC Dept. of Health and Environmental Control issued a Public Health Order about xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer commonly referred to as “tranq”.

According to an agency spokesperson, the order “requires all physicians and healthcare practitioners, institutions and providers who test for the presence of xylazine in victims of overdoses to report laboratory-confirmed positive results to DHEC within three business days or face a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 a day for each violation.”

Officials say DHEC has also deferred the declaration of xylazine as a “controlled substance” to allow legislators to take action without disruption to veterinary practice in the state.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the drug, typically used as a tranquilizer for large animals is found mixed in cocaine and heroin and can cause sedation, difficulty breathing, dangerously low blood pressure, slowed heart rate, wounds that can become infected, severe withdrawal symptoms and death when taken by humans.