A wave of "Benzo dope" is hitting the streets of Peoria.
Benzo dope is a gray and purple colored drug made of both opioids and benzodiazepines, which is a sedative that’s prescribed for people who have anxiety. These benzodiazepines are depressant drugs that can suppress breathing and heart rate.
Heroin, and more commonly fentanyl, are the opioids used in combination with benzodiazepines.
When opioids and benzodiazepines are mixed, the risk of an overdose goes up.
Benzo dope poses a threat to intravenous drug users in the Peoria area because many are unaware that benzo dope is what's in the drugs they are buying or selling.
JOLTHarm Reduction program director Chris Schaffner said when benzos are added with fentanyl, the drugs’ lives are extended for a couple extra hours. This is called, “giving it legs.”
“That’s why we think, public health professionals think, we are seeing these polysubstance mixtures. It’s an attempt by many folks who are particularly intravenous drug users to not have to go back and use a needle so often throughout the day,” Schaffner said. “Most of the folks that are using are not using because they particularly care for the high that they’re getting. They’re using to avoid severe withdrawals. When the fentanyl burns off real quickly, they’re in withdrawals much quicker, and that means they have to go back and use multiple times a day.”
Schaffner said the big problem here is that many people have no idea the risks associated with using a polysubstance, like benzo dope. A polysubstance is a mixture of different drugs.
Schaffner said he is worried users will become dependent on benzodiazepine, which can result in serious health issues.
“Withdrawal from benzodiazepine can be fatal in some cases. It can lead to seizure activity and other central nervous system health risks. That’s an unintended consequence of someone who maybe doesn’t know there’s benzodiazepine in the drug they’re using,” Schaffner said.
“Withdrawal from benzodiazepine can be fatal in some cases. It can lead to seizure activity and other central nervous system health risks. That’s an unintended consequence of someone who maybe doesn’t know there’s benzodiazepine in the drug they’re using.”Chris Schaffner, JOLT Harm Reduction Program Director
The specific dosage of benzodiazepine that is in the street drug is not known.
“Most of the folks on the streets of Peoria that are selling drugs are just people who have their own substance use disorder and that are just trying to address their own financial needs as it relates to that,” Schaffner said.
JOLT also reported another polysubstance has hit Peoria, and it’s called “tranq dope.”
“That’s mixing Xylazine, which is a horse sedative, with fentanyl. The rationale behind that is that when somebody uses heroine, it would last anywhere from three to five hours. Fentanyl, because it’s much more potent, it tends to run its course much quicker.”
People who are intentionally using benzo dope and tranq dope are doing so to have extended time under the influence of these drugs.
“Before, you could find just heroine or just methamphetamine or just cocaine, but it’s rare that we find a substance today that is just that single drug that it’s sold a bought as. Most of the drugs we see today are some kind of combination of drugs. Therein lies the risk. If you don’t know what you’re consuming, it’s hard to plan for ways to reduce any potential harm because you don’t even know what the harm is,” Schaffner said.
“If it’s a heavy dose of the benzodiazepine, then we’re still going to try to reverse the effects of the opioid by using Narcan, but it might not even help because of the potency of the benzodiazepine, so that’s my concern is not knowing how much or what dosage of benzodiazepine or what type of benzodiazepine is actually being put in this drug supply.”Chris Schaffner, JOLT Harm Reduction Program Director
Schaffner encouragers polysubstance drug users to make sure they have access to Narcan, a nasal spray that reverses effects of opioids in the benzo dope, like fentanyl.
“We know Narcan will work to reverse the effects of an opioid, but it’s hard to tell what dosage of benzo is in that supply. If it’s a small amount, and the Narcan reverses the effects of the opioid, it can restart their breathing, and they’d be okay,” Schaffner said.
Schaffner continued, “If it’s a heavy dose of the benzodiazepine, then we’re still going to try to reverse the effects of the opioid by using Narcan, but it might not even help because of the potency of the benzodiazepine, so that’s my concern is not knowing how much or what dosage of benzodiazepine or what type of benzodiazepine is actually being put in this drug supply.”
Schaffner said for people currently using drugs, they need to have their drugs tested to make sure it is not benzo dope.
The Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction Act, H.B. 4556, allows state recognized harm reduction programs like JOLT to test illicit substances for substances like benzos. It also allows qualifying establishments to have a needle and hypodermic syringe access program.
“You cannot make educated decisions if you don’t know what’s out there. The best and most obvious answer is to not use anything at all, but we also know that’s not a reality for people who live with a reality of daily substance dependency. So, we’re encouraging people to get their substances tested,” Schaffner said.
Under this act, Schaffner said JOLT will give out free Narcan to users. JOLT typically serves users in both Pekin and Peoria.
“We also are encouraging people that if they’re going to use that they don’t use alone or behind a locked door. So, you need to have Narcan present, and you need to have somebody who can give you the Narcan if you overdose,” Schaffner said.
JOLT also encourages users to “start slow and go low” when using new substances to see how it affects them physically.
“You can always do more. You just can never do less,” Schaffner said.
Schaffner said it is important for people to continually reporter overdose reversals to JOLT so that they can tailor their interventions to how many are being impacted in real time by drug use and overdoses.
