39 Attorneys General urge Congress to fight illegal Xylazine.

Bipartisan Coalition of Attorneys General Calls for Action Against Deadly Drug Threat

Combatting Illicit Xylazine Act

A bipartisan coalition of 39 attorneys general is urging Congress to take action against the abuse of xylazine, a potent veterinary tranquilizer that is increasingly infiltrating illicit drugs and is easily obtainable online. The attorneys general reached out in a May 18 letter to congressional leadership and the chairmen and ranking members of some House and Senate committees to encourage lawmakers to approve the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, introduced in March by Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.). The measure has 31 Democrat and 29 Republican co-sponsors.

The legislation would “prohibit certain uses of xylazine, and for other purposes.”

A Deadly Drug Threat

Xylazine is “a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use [that] has been linked to an increasing number of overdose deaths nationwide in the evolving drug addiction and overdose crisis,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. There have been instances of xylazine mixed with other deadly drugs, including fentanyl.

“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram stated in a March alert.

“DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 states,” she continued. “The DEA Laboratory System is reporting that in 2022, approximately 23 percent of fentanyl powder and 7 percent of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine.”

Confronting the Danger

In their letter, the AGs wrote that “xylazine is a growing danger to communities across our nation. With a record number of overdose deaths, we must confront this new threat.”

• The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act would help prevent the abuse of this dangerous drug.
• It is crucial that Congress takes action to protect our communities from this deadly threat.
• Join the bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in calling for action against the abuse of xylazine.