NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Suspected drug overdose deaths have declined in Nashville, Tennessee, compared to this time last year, but the presence of the so-called “zombie drug” xylazine has risen, according to the Metro Nashville Board of Health (MNBH).
According to the latest drug overdose data from the MNBH, detections of xylazine, or “tranq,” have nearly doubled so far in 2024 compared to this point last year. The data also showed that in 2022 years ago, xylazine only appeared in about 5% of toxicology reports for people who died of a suspected drug overdose in Nashville. So far this year, that number is nearly 13%.
“We’re in this vicious cycle of kind of feeding an addiction until people either want treatment or can get treatment and it is something that keeps the drug suppliers in business,” said Mary Linden Salter, the executive director of the Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug & other Addiction Services (TAADAS).
Salter said to keep up with demand, suppliers have laced illegal drugs with xylazine, which is relatively cheap to produce. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, people often don’t even know they’re taking it.
Salter said that she believe that getting off xylazine should be medically managed.
“There might be people who are on waiting lists for treatment even, but they continue to be drug-dependent until they can find treatment,” Salter said.
Salter added that because only certain groups qualify for Medicaid in Tennessee, that could also create a barrier for those looking to seek rehabilitation.
MNBH’s report also shows while fentanyl deaths are slightly decreasing, fentanyl was still responsible for more than 70% of overdose deaths in Nashville so far this year. The state has taken steps to address this issue by passing a law to decriminalize fentanyl test strips in 2022. The law that would need to be reenacted during the next legislative session to stay in effect.
TAADAS also wanted to remind people that Tennessee’s Good Samaritan Law provides legal protection for anyone who needs to dial 911 for a drug overdose.