Makes it easier to spot the dope fiends, doesn't it?

Health officials are warning of a terrifying flesh-eating drug which is being increasingly found laced into heroin, cocaine and other narcotics - leading to a soaring number of drug overdoses across the country.

Doctors say xylazine - a muscle relaxant intended for large animals like horses - has been appearing in the illicit drug scene in cities across the US, joining fentanyl as one of the primary narcotics used to cut opioids.

The drug prolongs the highs felt from heroin, but results in users passing out for hours at a time, while injection points ulcerate and lead to grisly wounds that spread across the body. 

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