Best of CASE District II Award
 

Institution: Johns Hopkins University

Title of entry: The New Overdose Crisis

About this entry: From 2010 to 2015, the veterinary tranquilizer xylazine, or “tranq,” was present in less than 2% of overdose deaths in Pennsylvania. By 2019, it was present in 39%. Maryland experienced a similar spike, with three overdose deaths involving the drug in 2016 increasing to 495 in 2021.

In addition to its connection with overdose deaths, xylazine is associated with deep, chronic wounds that put the people using it at high risk of amputations.

We knew we had to tell this story because xylazine use is a growing crisis, one that states and cities may not be equipped to handle, and one that affects an already marginalized population. The story integrates data and research with the perspectives of a person who used the drug, a hospital doctor, a street clinic service director, and a public health researcher to illuminate the crisis as well as potential solutions.