Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer shakes hands with Tom Carman, president of Watertown's Samaritan Medical Center, at a press conference there about the threat of Xylazine in the street drug supply on Friday, March 17. Photo: Lucy Grindon

Mar 17, 2023 —

Correction, 4/24/2023: An earlier version said there were eight "non-fatal Xylazine-related overdoses" in Jefferson County over the past few years. In fact, those eight overdoses were fatal, but the doses of Xylazine revealed in the eight toxicology reports were not fatal doses.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer outlined his plan to stop the increase of Xylazine-related overdoses at a press conference at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown today.

The three-prong plan includes accelerating FDA efforts to track down and eliminate illegal Xylazine sources in the Northeast, increasing funding for the federal COPS Hiring Program, which provides law enforcement agencies with money to hire more officers, and raising the budget for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Jefferson County's deputy public health director Stephen Jennings said the county has had two Xylazine-related overdose deaths in the past few years, and eight additional overdose deaths in which Xylazine was found in toxicology checks.

Farther downstate, Schumer said the city of Syracuse reported more than 40 Xylazine-related overdoses in a single week earlier this month.

Xylazine is a veterinary sedative, intended for use in horses and other large animals. Schumer stressed that because it isn't an opioid, it increases users' overdose risk; its effects cannot be reversed by NARCAN. It's often found mixed with fentanyl and other street drugs.

Xylazine can cause "devastating skin conditions," according to Dr. Scott Stern of North Country Family Health Center, who also spoke at the press conference. Severe wounds and infections can appear anywhere on users' bodies (not only at injection sites), and can go from bad to worse quickly. In some cases, amputation can be required.

Anyone experiencing gray, blue or pale skin, numbness, tingling, or a spreading skin problem that they think could be drug-related should see a doctor immediately.

The St. Lawrence County Public Health Department says the number of overdoses involving Xylazine has been increasing, and that should call 9-1-1 immediately if you think someone is overdosing. Because of New York's Good Samaritan law, callers won't be penalized for calling for help, for themselves or others.