Stop The Black Market Drug Trade From Destroying Lives And Endangering Animal Care
Final signature count: 1,529
1,529 signatures toward our 30,000 goal
Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site
Drugs like xylazine and medetomidine are causing catastrophic injuries, overwhelming responders, and threatening the medications veterinarians need to save animals—take action before this crisis deepens beyond control.
Drugs like xylazine and medetomidine are spreading through the illicit drug supply in Massachusetts and across the country with brutal speed. This veterinary sedative is not approved for human use, yet it is now mixed into street fentanyl and sold without disclosure. People are collapsing into overdoses that resist naloxone, suffering deep necrotic wounds, and overwhelming emergency responders who were never trained to treat these effects.1 Communities face a crisis they did not create and cannot ignore.
State testing shows how quickly this danger has grown. In Massachusetts, xylazine appeared in more than a third of lab-tested samples last year and was linked to a rising share of opioid-related deaths.2 Many people exposed to it never intended to take it. They learn the truth only after a medical emergency or the appearance of sudden, aggressive wounds.
At the same time, the illicit market is shifting again. A second veterinary tranquilizer—medetomidine—has begun surfacing in overdose clusters in cities across the country.3 It is even more potent than xylazine and causes withdrawal symptoms that standard opioid treatments cannot control. Without immediate action, Massachusetts risks facing a dual-sedative drug crisis that will strain every part of the public health system.
Veterinarians depend on these medications to safely sedate horses, cattle, dogs, and wildlife. Diversion threatens not only human health but the animals who rely on these drugs for surgery, emergency restraint, and relief from pain.4 If supplies tighten because of illicit misuse, clinics could struggle to care for animals humanely and safely.
We Need Action Now
Massachusetts needs stronger surveillance, public education, widespread access to xylazine test strips, clear clinical guidelines, and rapid-response wound care. Closing loopholes that allow bulk purchases and strengthening distribution controls will reduce diversion without harming legitimate veterinary access.
This requires compassion for the people losing their lives to a contaminated drug supply and responsibility for the animals whose medical care depends on these sedatives. Protecting both demands decisive action today.
Sign the Petition
Add your name and urge the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to implement emergency and permanent measures that protect every community, prevent further injuries and deaths, and preserve safe veterinary access for animals who need this medication.
Sign now to help ensure a safer future for all.
