[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6189413,"mediaKeyId","5057380-ee132946b0cbece99dbfac89484154f6","parentId",5057380,"title","Massachusetts drug‑checking network shows Xylazine emergence in 2020–2022 then decline; metetomidine rising — MADS urges expanded, funded testing hubs","audioSeconds",236,"startMs",5184000,"endMs",5420000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5057380-ee132946b0cbece99dbfac89484154f6&start=5184&end=5420","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5057380-ee132946b0cbece99dbfac89484154f6/thumbnail_5184000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6189413/Massachusetts/Massachusetts-drugchecking-network-shows-Xylazine-emergence-in-20202022-then-decline-metetomidine-rising-MADS-urges-expanded-funded-testing-hubs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189413-447bab268eadea8246a5ab311ec9e8bb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445378&Signature=T8z6g2NcL2P-BHsi6ByeCSe10irtQbgxQdlWNg5UnyzfF2dHRQenaqNyiBALikpNnmQzRSOjW3esq52reCQ3lPyaJOZ89r9sc~QfBiZS-~X7Tea-Sq5Vo8yy3RiNaEeEv3qLXCAjROyZTMJX93kzPkOvjrzWyFW1iQJRyKgUuvNn1ORkoCvYbpTBzgfWq2nyrwrRQgfjw6alskWLIOZEIQ-eooZrKRkxIEAAD7Ln-BhOHVjdtaEQH0CLpnWHA14GuVsp4CFAYx55aIzvsGhMSd1F7rFSx2dTKViwXaDIibonpKGMSBh~1mOhMjSHgUXYWVfwWVL5Cq-olrFb-lUvpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Massachusetts Legislature","date","2025-06-23T00:00:00Z","article","Researchers from the Massachusetts Drug Supply Data Stream (MADS) described how community drug‑checking and laboratory confirmatory testing provide near‑real‑time intelligence on an evolving unregulated drug supply and inform public‑health action.

Tracy Green, principal investigator for MADS, summarized the tools used by community partners: technician‑run Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers for on‑site scans, immunoassay test strips (including Xylazine and fentanyl strips) and confirmatory laboratory testing (GC‑MS/LC‑QTOF). Green told the commission that MADS began detecting Xylazine in the state’s drug supply in 2020 and that routine toxicology detection by the medical examiner followed in 2022. MADS surveillance, Green said, now shows a measurable decline in Xylazine‑positive samples in 2025 and a concurrent rise in metetomidine detections in many localities.

Green explained how drug‑checking affects behavior: people who use drugs often change behavior after learning a sample contains a contaminant (discarding the sample, using less, changing administration route or not using alone) and community suppliers sometimes adjust or recall product when testing shows unexpected adulterants. She also reported preliminary survey data indicating approximately 35 percent of people who use drugs in the state have accessed a drug‑checking service; that figure, Green said, is “not enough” but the law and funding changes have increased pre‑use testing in some programs.

Presenters said drug‑checking programs require sustained investments: trained technicians, FTIR units and secondary lab capacity. Green recommended at least one fully functional regional hub per EOHHS region, ongoing training, and funding for laboratory confirmatory testing. Multiple presenters told the commission the state’s recent statutory changes improving legal protections for drug checking were an important step but that operational funding and workforce development are critical to expand access.

Commission members heard that drug‑checking data have already been used to issue public alerts (BSAS and Brandeis fact sheets), inform clinical guidance, and support harm‑reduction outreach. Speakers urged the commission to recommend continued legal protections and stable funding to scale drug‑checking infrastructure across the Commonwealth.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Public Health Effects of Xylazine\t6/23/2025","oneSentenceSummary","State drug‑checking researchers told the commission that Xylazine was first detected in Massachusetts in 2020, appeared in toxicology data in 2022, and that 2025 MADS surveillance shows a decline in Xylazine with an increase in metetomidine detections.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MA, Massachusetts","taxId",77682,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6189418,"Clinicians and harm‑reduction providers: Xylazine linked to deep wounds, prolonged sedation; low‑barrier wound care and overdose training urged",1610,820000,2430000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5057380-ee132946b0cbece99dbfac89484154f6&start=820&end=2430","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5057380-ee132946b0cbece99dbfac89484154f6/thumbnail_820000.jpg","/articles/6189418/Massachusetts/Clinicians-and-harmreduction-providers-Xylazine-linked-to-deep-wounds-prolonged-sedation-lowbarrier-wound-care-and-overdose-training-urged","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189418-2ac489f4cfd99226488e8da3fcd018a4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445378&Signature=nx5RhIcRfxYZESb6WR2XQ-LBbys39VLX6GiF0L3FuI3pwgXwSvhssAJQCn9x6vgpXn2zZUjnW0FAigVRu1yB0XGuwpMsbF14M8V36X8GQSQ6JyDKAGIHkWUlf0drVVfQhqjLldKXc-BWVyO2gKJtFRtHIDOpo9aHKpjpdk~Rx~9TXMAQkXCcluvhzWYYfsmaRFrdzucDgkI~4Zv24qytlUa0VHhz5BcSy5Vd3DmzRel9Ga8pNifkEjDlqgBVrI~UKYiV0uVTkbJNOYzwDPXx006BWOykjjMAj-XrSONYQX4AVr09LRCnHUOQr-CFyVnYbENWcZxt0Un4U6Euawlnsw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","State public‑health officials, infectious‑disease and addiction clinicians, harm‑reduction providers and people with lived experience described the health harms linked to Xylazine and urged expanded wound care and provider training.

Deirdre Calvert, director of the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, told the commission that “xylazine was first detected in the Massachusetts drug supply in 2020, and we see it begin to be present in the opioid overdose toxicology data in 2022,” after the medical examiner began routine testing. Calvert summarized BSAS recommendations from a joint CDC Epi Aid and Brandeis investigation: reduce stigma in health systems, expand self‑directed wound‑care supports (including billing and supply coverage), expand drug‑checking, and support low‑barrier care such as mobile vans and clinics.

In clinical testimony, Raghini Jawa, an infectious‑disease and addiction clinician who has worked in areas with high Xylazine prevalence, said evidence and clinical experience show Xylazine has “shifted from being just an adulterant to a common component in our unregulated opioid supply,” and that many patients do not want Xylazine in their drugs but learn of exposure only after harm occurs.

Clinicians reported three recurring clinical problems associated with Xylazine:

- Deep, necrotic skin wounds: Presenters described wounds that can arise away from injection sites and resemble burns more than simple abscesses. Tracy Green’s MADS‑linked Epi Aid interviews found about half of people whose samples showed Xylazine reported Xylazine‑associated wounds in the prior six months; many had multiple wounds and most still had wounds at the time of interview.

- Prolonged sedation: Providers and first responders described heavy, prolonged sedation that may not respond fully to naloxone because Xylazine is a non‑opioid sedative; naloxone still reverses the opioid component and should be administered when respiratory depression is present, but patients may remain deeply sedated longer and require extended monitoring and oxygenation.

- Withdrawal and care barriers: Clinicians said withdrawal after Xylazine exposure can be distinct from opioid withdrawal and may require coordinated clinical protocols; some patients reported being denied placement in detox or rehab because programs lacked wound‑care capacity.

Multiple presenters urged bolstering low‑barrier wound care in community settings. Dr. Sarah Wakeman (Mass General Brigham) and several harm‑reduction speakers said community syringe‑services programs and mobile clinics have been providing much of the wound care and that early, daily dressing changes at low‑barrier sites can avert worse outcomes. Alan Young, a recovery coach, described how wounds often begin as “little pimples” for people who inject and can progress rapidly when people are unable to seek care because they are avoiding withdrawal.

Speakers recommended concrete steps: expand and fund mobile wound‑care and low‑threshold clinics; standardize hospital and detox withdrawal and wound‑care protocols; ensure wound‑care supplies and billing paths so community programs are not subsidizing supplies; and include wound‑care training in clinical education and harm‑reduction training for first responders.

Several presenters emphasized that the drug supply is evolving and that Xylazine is one of multiple contaminants; providers requested funding and technical assistance to scale wound care and integrate it into substance‑use services.","State and community clinicians described Xylazine’s association with large, hard‑to‑heal skin wounds, extended sedation and harder‑to‑manage withdrawal. Presenters urged expanded low‑barrier wound care, updated hospital protocols and more clinician and first‑responder training.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6189423,"Massachusetts special commission on Xylazine convenes to study contaminated drug supply; report deadline moved to March 30, 2026",4856,198000,5054000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5057380-ee132946b0cbece99dbfac89484154f6&start=198&end=5054","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5057380-ee132946b0cbece99dbfac89484154f6/thumbnail_198000.jpg","/articles/6189423/Massachusetts/Massachusetts-special-commission-on-Xylazine-convenes-to-study-contaminated-drug-supply-report-deadline-moved-to-March-30-2026","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189423-63a1eb0a65564da1a853d8dafa306553/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445378&Signature=lQLob0EfzvZAorrReHom7JjcmeViN~3pHDktGD-Ai2w3~AMWMSsIaVIKVaoOsjC0Iyjzy7houSR1eN13kH5nGrMkbUPHyyF8d4NbzaoQ-YxeyCi8WliYOoBJW82bYi9Q5bmFXUPrLDflNK-ucC6NzfpfuBIgPQmGvNfYKoSdM6thUg2RaKezgLfnhZBob~MW0mLphz3QvYzhtAr3p5yOh8QBOfTSPzA9ecqDeejul4u6TM9S1R3oXB78txbYGm6hwxqn1r6MmxxKwsylaSHQDZSG4pEDlyZgkqqlinoIwOe9uQmEmelWjrdGX48zWBkeLjzktpdMnXx5jTfX0KB-yA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Special Commission on Xylazine, convened by the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, held its first public meeting remotely, with House chair Mindy Dom and Senate co‑chair Sen. John Vilas presiding.

The commission is charged to “study and make recommendations on ways to address the public health and safety concerns posed by the proliferation of Xylazine as an additive to illicit drugs, including, but not limited to, fentanyl,” Dom said. The commission will examine three core areas listed in its charge: best practices to regulate and oversee Xylazine production and distribution; whether Xylazine should be classified as a controlled substance and what penalties, if any, should apply; and gaps in outreach and treatment services for people exposed to Xylazine and related contaminants.

Dom told members that the original report deadline of June 30, 2025, has been extended to March 30, 2026, giving the commission more time for public hearings and working‑group work. Staff outlined a proposed schedule that includes a second public hearing in early fall 2025 to receive public testimony, working‑group deliberations in late 2025, a third hearing to review preliminary findings, and a final public hearing in March 2026 when the draft report will be finalized and submitted to the clerks.

Commission staff (including committee counsel Jess Bressler) walked members through the packet materials made available to participants: the statute that created the commission, the commission’s specific charge, background memos and a proposed schedule. Dom said work groups would be organized around the themes in the legislative charge and that staff will circulate the membership and meeting dates by email; members will be asked to rank their work‑group preferences.

No formal votes were taken at the first meeting. The chairs repeatedly emphasized that the commission will hear from subject‑matter experts and community partners during its public hearings and that members should submit written materials to staff for distribution to the full commission.

Looking ahead, Dom said staff would compile member preferences for work‑group assignments and circulate meeting dates and materials. The commission's next steps are procedural: organizing work groups, scheduling the fall public hearing and collecting written submissions from stakeholders.","Legislative co-chairs opened the first public meeting of the Special Commission on Xylazine to study public-health risks from the drug's presence in the unregulated supply. The commission’s statutory charge, planned hearings and a staff‑driven schedule were presented; the final report deadline was extended to March 30, 2026.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Massachusetts drug‑checking network shows Xylazine emergence in 2020–2022 then decline; metetomidine rising — MADS urges expanded, funded testing hubs

Clinicians and harm‑reduction providers: Xylazine linked to deep wounds, prolonged sedation; low‑barrier wound care and overdose training urged

Massachusetts special commission on Xylazine convenes to study contaminated drug supply; report deadline moved to March 30, 2026