LANSING, MI (WOWO) New testing data shows significant shifts in Michigan’s illegal drug supply, with purer methamphetamine, rising cocaine prevalence and increasingly adulterated opioids.
Bridge Michigan cites data from the Michigan State Police crime labs indicating that homemade meth production has largely stopped in the last five years. Lab officials say crystal meth produced by Mexican cartels has replaced locally made batches that once contained more impurities.
In some northern Michigan labs, methamphetamine accounts for 60% to more than 80% of tested drugs. At the same time, the percentage of cocaine tests statewide has increased from 15% to 28% in the last three years, reflecting broader global production trends.
Opioids remain present across the state in smaller quantities but are more frequently mixed with other substances. Lab officials report about 20% of synthetic fentanyl samples contain xylazine, a veterinary sedative that does not respond to naloxone. State data shows xylazine was detected in as many as 34% of fentanyl samples in early 2025 before declining later in the year.
Another sedative, medetomidine, has also appeared in fentanyl samples after previously not being detected. State health officials linked three overdoses in 2024 to medetomidine.
Harm reduction advocates say street-level testing often reveals additional adulterants, including caffeine, lidocaine and other substances. Officials say the goal of testing is to provide information that may reduce harm as broader drug use in Michigan remains elevated, even as overdose deaths have declined from a 2021 peak.
