Dangerous New “Zombie Drug” Creeping Into South Carolina

A dangerous new drug called Xylazine is creeping into South Carolina. The "zombie drug" is being linked to eight overdoses in Clarendon County.

Xylazine goes by many names, including "tranq," "tranq dope," and "zombie drug."  It was originally for veterinary use as an animal tranquilizer. But, that is not quite the same. Xylazine is dangerous by itself but can mix with other illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine, or fentanyl.

Some are calling the arrival of Xylazine the next evolution of the drug crisis.  Side effects include unconsciousness and sores that turn into rotting skin.  According to CBS News, Xylazine abuse has attracted the attention of the FDA, which is taking measures to restrict its import.

Because of the eight overdose cases (all of which happened within a week), the Clarendon County Sheriff's Office shared a Facebook post warning about the dangers of Xylazine:

"Over the past week, right here in Clarendon County, there have been at least 8 overdose cases by individuals who have taken a “blue pill” containing Xylazine," said a post from Clarendon County Behavioral Services.  "Two of these cases were young adolescents.  “Tranq” is the common street name.  It is actually a non-opioid animal TRANQuilizer. Most will use the drug with other drugs without the user’s knowledge. This can be very deadly and irreversible. Please talk to your kids and loved ones."

Many should be careful with the new drug and keep their eyes aware. Learn about the hazards of this drug and understand the effects that it can have.

We all know that living in South Carolina is wonderful. The Palmetto State has something for everything and we often talk about how incredible the city of Charleston is. But that's not all the state has to offer. Scholaroo created a detailed guide on the best US cities to live. The report compared 150 cities across 47 metrics distributed in 9 key relevant categories: Crime & Safety, Affordability, Economy, Quality of life, Leisure and entertainment, Healthcare, Education, Employment, and Infrastructure. And in the best 150 cities to live there were four South Carolina cities. Of course, Charleston was the highest-ranked South Carolina city, but another trendy SC spot wasn't far behind them on the list. Both of these cities were ranked in the top 20.

Additionally moving a little North, North Carolina also had four cities make this list. If I had to pick four cities to be included from SC, these would be those four. But if I were to do the same for NC, the cities included are not what I would expect. Only one of Charlotte and Raleigh was included.

Read Scholaroo's full rankings and analysis here and keep reading to see the South Carolina cities named the best places to live, as well as the NC cities, and the top 10 nationwide.

Rank Crime & Safety: 32

Rank Affordability: 109

Rank Economy: 40

Rank Quality of Life: 47

Rank Crime & Safety: 67

Rank Affordability: 76

Rank Economy: 120

Rank Quality of Life: 38

Rank Crime & Safety: 106

Rank Affordability: 52

Rank Economy: 137

Rank Quality of Life: 53

Rank Crime & Safety: 143

Rank Affordability: 116

Rank Economy: 110

Rank Quality of Life: 35

Rank Crime & Safety: 82

Rank Affordability: 70

Rank Economy: 74

Rank Quality of Life: 69

Rank Crime & Safety: 78

Rank Affordability: 81

Rank Economy: 48

Rank Quality of Life: 94

Rank Crime & Safety: 138

Rank Affordability: 21

Rank Economy: 94

Rank Quality of Life: 55

Rank Crime & Safety: 69

Rank Affordability: 57

Rank Economy: 96

Rank Quality of Life: 52

Rank Crime & Safety: 49

Rank Affordability: 39

Rank Economy: 59

Rank Quality of Life: 91

Rank Crime & Safety: 24

Rank Affordability: 144

Rank Economy: 24

Rank Quality of Life: 15

Rank Crime & Safety: 26

Rank Affordability: 79

Rank Economy: 20

Rank Quality of Life: 144

Rank Crime & Safety: 6

Rank Affordability: 111

Rank Economy: 5

Rank Quality of Life: 24

Rank Crime & Safety: 14

Rank Affordability: 124

Rank Economy: 14

Rank Quality of Life: 107

Rank Crime & Safety: 15

Rank Affordability: 120

Rank Economy: 9

Rank Quality of Life: 119

Rank Crime & Safety: 1

Rank Affordability: 99

Rank Economy: 13

Rank Quality of Life: 60

Rank Crime & Safety: 42

Rank Affordability: 96

Rank Economy: 63

Rank Quality of Life: 37

Rank Crime & Safety: 8

Rank Affordability: 91

Rank Economy: 17

Rank Quality of Life: 120

Rank Crime & Safety: 4

Rank Affordability: 150

Rank Economy: 8

Rank Quality of Life: 11