Vapes found to contain ‘zombie drug’, linked to death, could be in Ireland

A dangerous substance, coined the ‘zombie drug’, has been found to be present in vapes.

The drug xylazine, when abused with other dangerous substances such as heroin and known as ‘trancdope’, can be fatal and has caused deaths in the UK. There have been no cases yet in Ireland.

“Often we see drugs that appear in the UK appear in Ireland. We haven’t, however, seen it yet in our toxicology labs - but that’s not to say it won’t appear here,” said Professor Eamon Keenan, National Clinical Lead of Addiction Services with the HSE.

“We are concerned that they will appear here [in Ireland] and we will be keeping a very close eye on their emergence. 

“But to be fair, the vapes found with xylazine in the UK were only found in a very small number - it was still found to be present, which is a concern,” he said.

Xylazine causes sedation, which is why it is often referred to as the ‘zombie drug’. It is mainly used in veterinary medication for large animals, such as elephants, and is unsuitable for humans in any quantity.

According to Professor Keenan, Irish people and authorities need to get ready for the potential arrival of stuff like xylazine arriving here, whether mixed with opioid drugs such as heroin or indeed, hidden in vape products. 

“We need to have a robust system and expand the analysis projects to see what drugs are circulating. There were cases of opioid overdoses in Ireland where xylazine was present but mixed with other drugs,” Professor Keenan said.

“Emerging drug trends across Europe are changing and these new substances have more potent effects - so we need to be prepared.”