Ohio health officials warn of a new, potentially deadly drug combination now available on the streets

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The Ohio Department of Public Safety has issued a warning about a new, dangerous drug concoction circulating on the state's roads.

Officials say it can be fatal, adding that it comes in various forms, from pills to powder.

The combination of tranquilizers such as heroin and fentanyl is also causing law enforcement to warn that there is a rise in hybrid drugs.

It is called tranquil dope or benzo dope.

The Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center reports that in the last two years it has seen eight times as many drug samples containing tranquilizers and more than twice as many samples containing benzodiazepines.

Law enforcement officials believe that dealers create such combinations to enhance the drugs and their effects.

However, as these drugs become more effective, the risk of overdose and death also increases.

Other side effects may include severe skin injuries or breathing problems.

“The drug supply is not what it used to be,” Tom Synan, spokesman for the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition, told ABC 6 sister station WKRC in Cincinnati. “It's not that organic supply where you turn coca into cocaine or poppy into heroin. It's a chemical lab that's on the streets now.”

From 2017 to 2022, 58 percent of drug-related deaths in Ohio were due to a mixture of different drugs. Officials also say Narcan is not as effective on the drug mixtures because it can only reverse an opioid overdose.