Xylazine has been prevalent in Philadelphia for quite some time.

It was first identified as an adulterant in heroin supplies in the early 2000s. According to an Associated Press report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2021 that xylazine was involved in fatal drug overdoses in 23 states in 2019, with the highest rate — 67% — happening in the Northeast. In Philadelphia, xylazine has been found in as much as 90% of that city’s street drug supply.

Its presence in drugs seized by police agencies in Chautauqua County, N.Y., however, should raise red flags here in Warren County. Chautauqua County is an awful lot closer to home than Philadelphia. As we have seen in the past, a state border doesn’t stop drugs or crime from making their way from the Empire State to the Keystone State.

Police agencies in Warren County as well as EMTs have to be prepared for this new additive to show up on our streets, too. Because xylazine isn’t an opioid, the drug typically used to reverse an overdose — narcan — is ineffective in overdoses caused by xylazine. That adds a new wrinkle for first responders to deal with as they try to save lives.

Some states and the federal government are moving to make it harder to purchase xylazine. In our view they should do so. But as we have seen with fentanyl, drug dealers tend to find ways to get their hands on substances that shouldn’t be added to already illegal narcotics. The best way to keep xylazine-laced drugs from harming people is to get those fighting drug abuse the help they need so these lethal drugs don’t end up in their bodies in the first place. Pennsyvania must step up and do more to help rural counties fight the battle against drug abuse — because we all know xylazine won’t be the last substance to be added to street drugs.