Zombieland continues in Philadelphia as 'dealers and addicts' are seen sleepwalking down a side street in crisis-hit Kensington neighborhood where fentanyl and 'tranq' overdoses run rampant

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Philadelphia's low-income neighborhood has been overcome with sleepwalking 'zombies' as fentanyl and 'tranq' overdoses continue to rise. 

Driving through the streets of any big city can be a bit overwhelming with heavy traffic and narrow streets, but the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia has an even bigger obstacle for both drivers and government officials: Large groups of doped-out citizens. 

Kensington is known as 'ground zero' for the city's drug epidemic as addicts continue to shoot up in broad daylight, leaving them mindlessly wandering the streets, being hunched over in a stupor, and passed out on needle-covered ground. 

As one driver traversed the streets of Allegheny and Kensington Avenues is met with moderate traffic, but as he turns down Shelbourne Street, he is surrounded by addicts covered in blankets, sitting on sidewalks, and seeming to be in a haze. 

The rundown side street filled with trash and people is like many others in the city as it cracks under the went of 'tranq' - a horse tranquillizer - and the ongoing fentanyl crisis. 

More than 90 percent of the heroin now found in Philadelphia contains xylazine and a June study found the drug has spread to 36 states and DC. 

The neighborhood of Kensington in Philadelphia is known as 'ground zero' for the city's drug epidemic as addicts continue to shoot up in broad daylight, leaving them mindlessly wandering the streets, being hunched over in a stupor, and passed out on needle-covered ground

As one driver traversed the streets of Allegheny and Kensington Avenues is met with moderate traffic, but as he turns down Shelbourne Street, he is surrounded by addicts covered in blankets, sitting on sidewalks, and seeming to be in a haze (pictured)

'I've never seen human beings remain in these kinds of conditions,' Sarah Laurel, who runs outreach organization Savage Sisters, said. 

Kensington is known as the 'poorest neighborhood in America's poorest city' and it's buckling under the weight of the newly popular 'tranq' drug - which leads to skin damage so severe it resembles chemical burns, plus deep festering wounds that frequently result in amputations.

Many citizens have complained about the smell 'tranq' leaves behind as it rots users' flesh and infected open wounds. 

'It is absolutely horrible. That's the reality, though,' James 'Sherm' Sherman, a former drug user, told CNN in March. 'Some people aren't ready to see that yet. It's literally people's flesh rotting, and you can smell it.' 

Maggie, whose last name was not disclosed, told CNN she 'could have lost my hand' after she used 'tranq' and initially developed a pimple, which quickly turned into a half-dollar-sized wound. 

More than 90 percent of the heroin now found in Philadelphia contains xylazine and a June study found the drug has spread to 36 states and DC

Many citizens have complained about the smell 'tranq' leaves behind as it rots users' flesh and infected open wounds. 'It is absolutely horrible. That's the reality, though,' James 'Sherm' Sherman, a former drug user, said ((pictured: a drug user preparing to shoot up)

A man slumps over his knees on the sideway after taking the drug in Kensington 

A man and a woman seems worse for wear as they stand around a pile of trash. The man's hands have appear to be slightly swollen with deep cuts that bled onto his pants 

'You shoot up and you miss, you get a sore. You don't take care of your sore, you'll wind up in a hospital with a hole,' she told CNN. 

ER Doctor Joseph D'Orazio said the wounds are 'a lot deeper, a lot more severe,' than they've seen previously with drug users. 

'There were big necrotic areas,' he told CNN. 'They were deep down into tendons. Sometimes you can see the bones, and we were starting to see more patients that were requiring amputations.'

Furthermore, 'tranq' - medically known as xylazine - is often combined with fentanyl - meaning usual treatments for opioid overdoses are not effective, such as Narcan. Unlike with opioids, there are no FDA-approved treatments specifically for xylazine withdrawal.

'They have open, gaping wounds, they can't walk, and they tell me, "If I go to the hospital, I'm going to get sick." They're so terrified of the detox,' Laurel said. 

'Tranq' - medically known as xylazine - is often combined with fentanyl - meaning usual treatments for opioid overdoses are not effective, such as Narcan

Unlike with opioids, there are no FDA-approved treatments specifically for xylazine withdrawal

In November, the FDA issued a nationwide alert about the drug - which hit the Philly scene about three years ago - and the following month the Office of National Drug Control Policy said it was concerned about the drug's spread

In November, the FDA issued a nationwide alert about the drug - which hit the Philly scene about three years ago - and the following month the Office of National Drug Control Policy said it was concerned about the drug's spread. 

Philip Moore, chief medical officer for the nonprofit treatment provider Gaudenzia, told the paper that weaning people off xylazine is a complicated procedure.

'We'll start treating for opioid withdrawal, and they should be getting better — but we'll see chills, sweating, restlessness, anxiety, agitation,' he said.

'They're very, very unpleasant symptoms. That's what triggers us that we're dealing with a more complicated withdrawal, that there's more xylazine in the mix.'

The city's drug use and violence has run rampant under woke District Attorney Larry Krasner whose failure to prosecute minor crimes and bail request policies have come with an uptick in crime in the City of Brotherly Love.

A group of drug users stand together in Philadelphia on January 18 

A man fiddles with something in his hands as he lays half-slumped over his backpack 

A man openly shoots up in broad daylight as he leans against a wall 

Republicans in the Pennsylvania State Senate voted for his impeachment over what they deem a dereliction of duty. The future of the progressive prosecutor remains unclear, as the party line vote was indefinitely postponed in January.

The drug was first developed in 1962 as an anesthetic for veterinary procedures, and was never cleared for human consumption. Initial trials were not completed because the drug led to respiratory depression and low blood pressure. 

It began being used as a substitute for heroin in the early 2000s, and was first found on the streets of Kensington in 2006 - but since the pandemic, its use has soared.