A powerful drug used to sedate horses and cattle is creeping into Canada’s illicit drug supply and has been detected in a growing number of human drug poisoning deaths in Ontario.
The animal tranquillizer xylazine is already causing concern in the United States, and results from a drug-testing site in Canada show it’s becoming more common north of the border.
Nigel Caulkett, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary, says xylazine produces a deep state of sedation that affects cardiovascular function and can induce vomiting.
He says he is concerned that people are mixing the powerful drug with
