CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Health officials are warning that a new street drug has made its way to western Massachusetts.

Xylazine is an animal sedative used by veterinarians and is not approved by the FDA for use in humans. The drug has increasingly been found mixed with cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, and has been detected in overdose deaths.

The 22New I-Team looked into this latest illicit drug trend and found out what’s being done to detect it and prevent the devastating health problems it causes.

Watch 22News I-Team reporter Alanna Flood’s report on the impact of xylazine in our region, Thursday on 22News at 6 p.m.

Learn more about Xylazine at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).