Editorial: Panel’s deliberate pace doesn’t match xylazine’s OD threat

The Massachusetts Special Commission on Xylazine held preliminary meetings Monday and Tuesday in efforts to study the increasing presence of the dangerous animal sedative in the state’s illicit drug supply.

The select panel’s mandate involves investigating the proliferation of xylazine and providing recommendations to “address the public health and safety concerns posed by the proliferation of xylazine as an additive to illicit drugs.”

The use of xylazine in the illicit drug supply — often combined with fentanyl — presents serious risks, including increased overdose potential and severe skin infections/ulcers.

Xylazine, also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope,” is a non-opioid sedative or tranquilizer, according to the CDC. The mixing of the drug and fentanyl was declared an emerging threa