New animal tranquilizer seen in illegal drugs

The latest: The federal government last year warned about the spread of another animal tranquilizer — xylazine, or "tranq" — that can lower blood pressure to dangerous levels, cause blackouts and damage skin severely enough to require amputations.

• Medetomidine is thought to be even more potent. It first appeared in Maryland as early as two years ago and — similar to the path of other drugs — is starting to move west, per NPR.
• Michigan officials on Thursday said it was found in three people who died of overdoses in unrelated cases, each in different counties.
• Philadelphia and Pittsburgh officials last month reported it showed up in their cities, and Chicago health officials also linked it to an increase in overdoses, according to NBC News.

"It's like a drip, drip, drip until it kind of explodes," Linda Cottler, director of the National Drug Early Warning System, told NBC. "This is the way drugs travel."