Xylazine (Tranq) in California: Risks and Treatment Considerations

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In some parts of the United States, tranq abuse has become a serious threat to the lives of people who engage in recreational opioid use. Tranq in California has not reached epidemic levels yet, but officials are still taking steps to address the problem before it causes widespread damage throughout the state.

What Is Tranq?

Tranq is the street name of a powerful drug called xylazine. The name reflects xylazine’s use as an animal tranquilizer. It is also sometimes referred to as “tranq dope” and “the zombie drug.”

History

Scientists employed by the German pharmaceutical company Farbenfabriken Bayer (now known simply as Bayer) first synthesized xylazine in 1962. The company originally intended to market xylazine as a medication to treat hypertension, but severe side effects prevented it from earning approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In 1972 the FDA approved xylazine for use in veterinary medicine. Through the decades, that has remained the only authorized use of the drug in the U.S. However, in recent years it has begun to wreak havoc among recreational drug users, many of whom appear to have unintentionally ingested the substance when taking what they thought was fentanyl.

Xylazine is not a controlled substance at the federal level, but in 2023 the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) formally designated xylazine-adulterated fentanyl as an emerging drug threat. 

Recent crisis

According to a September 2023 article in Harm Reduction Journal, the current tranq crisis began in Puerto Rico in 2001. For about 10 years after the first known case of illicit tranq use by humans, public health officials in Puerto Rico documented a steady increase in overdose deaths involving the drug.

During this period, tranq began to show up in a few large cities in the continental U.S., though it wasn’t perceived as a widespread public health crisis until the later 2010s. 

The Harm Reduction Journal article identified Philadelphia, Maryland, and Connecticut as “the first epicenters of this emerging crisis.” 

From 2010-2021, tranq-related overdose deaths in Philadelphia increased steadily then dramatically:

• Between 2010-2015, tranq was involved in about 2% of opioid overdose deaths.
• By 2018, about 14% of opioid overdose deaths involved tranq.
• From 2019-2020, about 31% of people who died of opioid overdoses had tranq in their system.
• By the middle of 2021, tranq was involved to 90% of all opioid overdose deaths in Philadelphia.

A 2023 public safety alert from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reported that the agency had found combinations of fentanyl and xylazine in 48 states. The alert also noted that xylazine had been detected in about 23% of fentanyl powder samples and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA in 2022.

Anne Milgram, who was then the administrator of the DEA, was quoted in the alert as describing xylazine as “the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced.”

Is Tranq in California a Serious Problem?

Though tranq use in the U.S. has spread considerably since it was first detected more than a quarter of a century ago, western states have not been impacted as severely as some other regions have. 

This of course doesn’t mean that tranq in California can be ignored, as Gov. Gavin Newsom noted in 2023 when he proposed new state laws to prevent xylazine from gaining a foothold in the nation’s most populous state.

“Although California is not yet seeing tranq at the same rates as other parts of the country, this legislation will help the state stay ahead and curb dealers and traffickers, while we work to provide treatment and resources for those struggling with addiction and substance abuse,” Newsom said.

Consistent with Newsom’s comment, a March 2023 fact sheet from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reported that there was no current evidence to suggest prevalent tranq use in California.

In December 2024, CA state Sen. Angelique Ashby introduced a bill to classify tranq as a Schedule III controlled substance. This classification indicates that a drug has limited medical value and low to moderate risk of dependence. Other drugs that are currently categorized as Schedule III controlled substances in California include ketamine, several anabolic steroids, and secobarbital.

When this post was written (March 11, 2026), Sen. Ashby’s bill to increase penalties for illicit tranq in California had not yet been voted on by the full state legislature.

Dangers of Using Tranq

The greatest immediate risk of tranq use is overdose, which is often fatal. But sudden death is by no means the only danger posed by this drug. 

As described in a December 2023 Health Sciences Review article, people who inject tranq sometimes develop large open wounds near the site of the injections. If these individuals don’t get timely and effective care for these painful wounds, the damage can turn into spreading necrosis (tissue death) that in severe cases can require amputation. 

Other adverse effects of tranq use include hypotension (low blood pressure), slowed heart rate, reduced breathing, and loss of consciousness.

Tranq use can also lead to addiction, a risk that is magnified by the fact that it is typically combined with fentanyl or other opioids. Once a person becomes addicted to tranq and/or opioids, the likelihood that they will incur significant harm can increase substantially.

Though there’s not much about tranq that would qualify as good news, one hopeful glimmer is that addiction is a treatable condition. When a person gets the help they need, they can regain control of their behaviors, stop using tranq, and start living a more hopeful and satisfying life in recovery.

Find Treatment for Tranq Addiction in Northern California

If you have become addicted to tranq, opioids, or any other substance, Bright Future Recovery is here for you. In addition to being a trusted source of personalized addiction treatment, we also care for adults who have been impacted by anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other co-occurring mental health concerns.

Treatment options at our rehab near San Francisco, CA, include a residential program, partial hospitalization program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP), and virtual (online) outpatient program. 

To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.