The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)-endorsed Combating Illicit Xylazine Act has been reintroduced in both the House and Senate. The legislation is reported to provide the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with tools to help address the illicit drug by scheduling xylazine as a Schedule III drug, ensure common veterinary uses of the drug remain legal, help maintain the availability of the drug on the market for veterinarians, and allow the DEA to track the legitimate supply.
In veterinary medicine, xylazine is an important prescription sedative used to facilitate the safe handling and treatment of many species and is particularly important for use in cattle, horses, wildlife, and research species. Illicit xylazine has been found across the country mixed with fentanyl and other narcotics. This dangerous drug combination poses significant health and safety risks to human users.
Only Congress can make the statutory changes necessary to help preserve the availability of this prescription animal drug for its uses in veterinary medicine as a controlled drug. Scheduling xylazine without statutory changes by Congress for its unique needs in veterinary medicine will severely disrupt or eliminate the legitimate supply and prohibit critical uses of the drug reports the AVMA.
The bill also would provide the DEA with transparency into the legitimate drug marketplace by requiring manufacturers and distributors to report inventory and sales to the Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System (ARCOS).
"The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act strikes the right balance of helping address the public health threat of illicit xylazine while maintaining veterinary access to this critical animal sedative," says Dr. Sandra Faeh, AVMA president. "Strongly endorsed by the AVMA, this legislation is essential to protecting our communities from the grave health and safety risks of illicit xylazine, upholding animal welfare, supporting public health, and ensuring our nation's veterinarians are equipped with all the necessary resources to provide high-quality veterinary care. The AVMA looks forward to working with Congress to enact this well-balanced approach into law."
"Our country is facing a drug epidemic that has devasted families and communities across America. We must crack down on deadly drugs being flooded into our communities, especially given that drug traffickers are turning to xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer, to make drugs more addictive—and more deadly," said Representative Pfluger. "I am proud to work with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to crack down on illicit uses of xylazine while protecting its critical purpose in agriculture and veterinary medicine."
