Nearly 100,000 xylazine test strips were ordered in first week since the Office of Addiction Services and Supports launched a new statewide ordering system for providers and the general public to obtain this important harm reduction tool. This initiative to supply free test strips is the latest part of OASAS efforts to address the spread of xylazine in the illicit drug supply, and the risks this substance can pose.

A video news release with OASAS Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham detailing this new ordering system and the steps OASAS is taking regarding xylazine is available to view on YouTube here and for download here, and a transcript of the video is included below.

Xylazine is a dangerous substance which is not approved for human use and is often mixed with fentanyl. It is not responsive to naloxone, which can complicate overdoses. It can also cause prolonged heavy sedation, as well as skin wounds that may require amputation in severe cases.

In addition to the new ordering system, OASAS has also launched a new informational page related to xylazine. A press announcement with further information can be viewed at this link.

Video Transcript:

0:02

I think that people don't really know about xylazine as much as they need to know. So a lot of the focus has been on fentanyl, and rightfully so because fentanyl is really fueling drug overdoses. It's about fentanyl is in about 75% of, involved in 75% of drug overdoses. But xylazine is a growing number. And frankly, we don't really know the full extent. But we know that it's showing up more and more in the Northeast and certainly in New York. So this is probably only going to continue to get worse. So people need to be educated and knowledgeable and have the tools that we're making available so that they can check to see if xylazine is in the substance that they're using.

1:02

Xylazine is a substance that is found in the drug supply more and more. It's not something that you can taste, smell or see. And so the only way to know about it is to test for it.

1:19

90,000 xylazine test strips had been made available in just the first five days of having this available to the public. So clearly there's a huge need for this and there's a huge interest. And so we want to make sure that we are getting supplies to people so that they can continue to reduce the risks and stay alive.

1:49

Providers can get it and individuals in the community can also get it. They're free. And it's through a partnership with New York MATTERS that we’re making them available and shipping them out to people and programs. So people can go to the OASAS website. They there will find a link and on that link then it takes them to the New York MATTERS website where they can just put in basic information and get xylazine test strips or fentanyl test strips.

2:26

Xylazine is a sedative that's used in veterinary medicine. So it's not a substance really that's fit for human consumption. And you know, there is a history of xylazine initially showing up in the drug supply about 10 years ago, but it's only been in the last year or two that we've really seen an increase in the amount of xylazine showing up in the drug supply. It's a big issue. So xylazine is definitely contributing to overdose deaths. It's making people, putting people at higher risk of overdose death. So it's a sedative so it makes people sleepy. And together with an opioid like fentanyl, what we're seeing is the combination of the two is making the drugs more deadly than ever before, so that people are you know, slowing down their breathing and they stop breathing. And that's really what leads to death.