Last updated : May 19, 2025
The USA Mobile Drug Testing of Northeast Ohio team knows how important it is to be aware of new drugs that are harmful to the workforce. That’s why we’re rounding up new drugs to be on the lookout for in 2023.
ISOTONITAZENE (also known as ISO)
Isotonitazene (ISO) is a drug that unfortunately continues to become more popular among drug users. It is also as dangerous & deadly as fentanyl, stronger than heroin & morphine, and it is commonly mixed with other drugs to make them more potent & cheaper to produce.
According to the DEA, “In powder form, ISO can appear yellow, brown, or off-white in color. DEA regional forensic laboratories have seen this drug mixed into heroin and/or fentanyl (and marketed as common street drugs) with deadly consequences. However, in other parts of the country, ISO has already been seen pressed into counterfeit pills and falsely marketed as pharmaceutical medication (like Dilaudid “M-8” tablets and oxycodone “M30” tablets).”
XYLAZINE (also known as Tranq)
The DEA recently released a public safety alert for the widespread threat of fentanyl mixed with Xylazine (Tranq). “The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the American public of a sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine. Xylazine, also known as “Tranq,” is a powerful sedative that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved for veterinary use.” The DEA is calling Xylazine “the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier.”
Also, according to WebMD, “tranq is a non-opioid sedative analgesic medication that’s largely mixed into (adulterated) and used as an additive with other opioid substances like heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine. Blending tranq helps to bulk up and boost or mimic the effects of these drugs. As a matter of fact, tranq is now found in up to 15% of fentanyl tests. But exposure to this mix of chemicals can have dangerous, potentially life-threatening effects on your health. It can cause such horrific wounds (necrotic skin ulcers) on your skin that it’s being dubbed a ‘zombie drug’.”
Tranq is a dangerous drug & symptoms of this drug are similar to opioids. Provided by WebMD, these are some symptoms to be aware of if you think your employees are under the influence of drugs:
- Slow breathing
- Skin ulcers (necrotic skin lacerations) and abscesses
- Slowed wound healing
- Frequent, persistent, or worsening skin infections
- Eye problems like small pupils (miosis)
- Drowsiness
NEW DRUGS IN 2023
It is important to be aware of new drugs as many drug users think they are buying other types of drugs & don’t know they are ingesting deadly drugs when they are mixed together. As mobile drug testers, it is important for us to educate our clients about the dangers of taking drugs & counterfeit prescription pills. We do this through our employee & supervisor drug free training programs & you can contact us here to learn more.
