New ‘Zombie Drug’ Hits California, With 4 Fatal Overdoses in 2025

Medetomidine is stronger than ‘tranq’ with severe and sometimes deadly withdrawals.
New ‘Zombie Drug’ Hits California, With 4 Fatal Overdoses in 2025
A person under the influence of drugs in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, Calif., on May 16, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times
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Medetomidine, a powerful new “zombie drug” known as “rhino tranq,” has reached California.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) stated in an email to The Epoch Times that the agency is aware of four medetomidine-related overdose deaths in 2025, an agency spokesperson said. She noted that the data is preliminary and more cases could be identified.