Hawaii recorded four overdose deaths last year involving xylazine, the horse tranquilizer being added to drugs like fentanyl to lengthen the high.
Four people in Hawaii — three on Oahu, one on Maui — died in 2023 with xylazine in their system, according to Gary Yabuta, executive director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program.
To compare, Hawaii saw no xylazine-related deaths in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Tags: Fentanyl Opioid Epidemic Overdose Xylazine