Last month, we surveyed our Sentinel Site Directors to see what they have been seeing in their area regarding xylazine-related wounds. Responses were provided from the following sites: Seattle, WA, San Francisco and San Diego, CA, Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI, St. Louis, MO, Washington, DC, Florida, and The National Survivors Union. View the full report here.

This week's NDEWS Hotspot Alerts report includes 33 counties with higher-than-expected drug-related 911 dispatch counts over the previous 7-day period. Read more here. Click here to read more about NDEWS Hotspot Alerts.

The National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) recently published its 2022 NFLIS-Drug Annual Report. From January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022, an estimated 648,738 distinct drug cases were submitted to State and local laboratories in the US. Methamphetamine was the most frequently identified drug in 2022 followed by cocaine, fentanyl, cannabis/THC, and heroin. Read the report here.

 A paper published last week in Harm Reduction Journal provides an overview of the current and emerging contexts of xylazine, including the major domains of xylazine’s harm, current knowledge deficits, and clinical and harm reduction strategies for minimizing harm. The authors note that addressing the harms of xylazine requires interdisciplinary participation, investment in community-based harm reduction strategies, and improved drug supply surveillance. Read the paper here.

 A recent study published in the International Journal of Drug Policy described the reported aggregate outcomes of drug checking services operating in North America. Participating organizations reported testing 49,786 drug samples between 2014 and 2022. Most drug testing services were run by community-led organizations (44%) or health departments (25%). Barriers included lack of funding (81%) or staff (50%), gaps in technical expertise (38%), as well as laws banning the possession and/or distribution of illicit drug samples, drug paraphernalia, or drug checking equipment (38%). Read the study here.

 A study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence quantified the prevalence of fentanyl in street methamphetamine and cocaine from samples collected from 77 harm reduction programs and clinics in the US. The authors also examined whether the presence of xylazine changed the donors’ accuracy in detecting fentanyl. Of the 718 lab-confirmed samples of methamphetamine and cocaine, the adjusted prevalence of fentanyl was 12.5% in powder methamphetamine and in powder cocaine. Crystalline forms of both methamphetamine and cocaine were less likely to contain fentanyl. The presence of xylazine reduced sample donors’ ability to detect fentanyl. Read the study here.

The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education (CFSRE)'s NPS Discovery has just announced the second iteration of its new quarterly webinar series. Each webinar will begin with a review of the newest trend reports, followed by presentations that cover topics related to forensic toxicology, forensic chemistry, clinical toxicology, analytical chemistry, and more. 
 
The series will be held Thursday, October 12th, 2023, from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET

Register here.

Date: Thursday, October 26, 2023

Time: 1:00 PM ET

Register here.

Correction:

Last week's summary of findings from the Rapid Street Reporting (RSR) New York City visit included a statement that the past 12-month use of psilocybin in the surveyed sample was 57.0%. The correct value is 21.9%.

Share your research, news, and events through our submission form

Share your comments on our newsletter through our feedback form

Follow NDEWS on Twitter: @NDEWSnews