Sen. Chuck Schumer implores DEA to fight drug Xylazine, which can rot skin
NEW YORK -- Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling for a special Drug Enforcement Administration team to help fight a deadly drug that's often mixed with fentanyl and heroin.
It's called Xylazine and the senator said it has been linked to dozens of overdose deaths across upstate New York, and is now making its way to New York City and Long Island. What's more, Schumer says it's Narcan resistant.
"The results are deadly. It can rot your skin. It can eat away at your bones. It can cause legs to be amputated," Schumer said Sunday. "I am asking the DEA, which has just issued the alert, to focus on stopping Xylazine, this evil drug in New York City. The DEA has diversion control teams. They are agents in law enforcement, but they're also chemists and other kinds of doctors, and they can swoop in on an area and deal with a drug problem."
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Schumer is also pushing for an increase in funding for substance use and mental health services across New York.