Des Moines, Iowa — The state is launching a website designed to inform Iowans about new and emerging drugs and other products, both legal and illegal, many of which can be deadly.
Dale Woolery, director of the Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy, says this type of online educational resource about drugs is urgently needed.
You can find the website by Googling “Iowa drugs” and that’ll take you to the state drug czar’s site, then just scroll down to “Emerging Drugs in Iowa.” Woolery says the information will be very useful to people in the healthcare industry, prevention and treatment, and law enforcement arenas.
One featured drug is Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer. It’s not new to Iowa veterinarians, but the drug is now being added by traffickers to illicit opioid products and he says it can lead to addiction or death.
There’s also a product called Kratom, an herbal substance that can produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects, but it can also cause psychiatric, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and respiratory problems. Kratom is legal in Iowa.
The list of substances covered on the website includes vaping, fentanyl, and highly-potent marijuana products. There are also sections for cough and cold medications, counterfeit pills, and mushrooms or psilocybin. You can visit https://odcp.iowa.gov/drug-awareness/emerging-drugs-iowa for a list of emerging drugs in Iowa.
