March 28, 2023

Manchin Introduces Bipartisan, Bicameral Combatting Illicit Xylazine Act

Legislation would crack down on the highly dangerous sedative causing overdoses nationwide

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Combating Illicit Xylazine Act to take action against a dangerous drug causing overdoses in West Virginia and across the country. Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is an easily accessible veterinary tranquilizer that leads to depressed breathing and heart rate, unconsciousness, necrosis and even death.
 
“In the last year, more than 106,000 Americans and 1,400 West Virginians died from drug related overdoses,” Senator Manchin said. “It’s heartbreaking to lose so many of our fellow Americans and West Virginians to this devastating epidemic, and Congress must take meaningful action to address the crisis, which includes the surging threat of the highly dangerous xylazine drug. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan, bicameral legislation to ensure our law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to monitor and control the spread of illicit xylazine, while ensuring its continued access for veterinary medicine. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense reform to combat the drug epidemic that continues to ravage our nation.”
 
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recently reported 23% of fentanyl powder contained xylazine in 2022. Despite this alarming report and many others about the rise of xylazine, federal, state, and local law enforcement do not have the tools necessary to effectively monitor its spread or combat its growing presence in drug trafficking circles.
 
The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act would address these gaps by:
 
  • Classifying its illicit use under Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act;
  • Enabling the DEA to track its manufacturing to ensure it is not diverted to the illicit market;
  • Requiring a report on prevalence, risks, and recommendations to best regulate illicit use of xylazine;
  • Ensuring all salts and isomers of xylazine are covered when restricting its illicit use;
  • Declaring xylazine an emerging drug threat.
 
Xylazine is essential in veterinary medicine with large animals, and while this legislation will help law enforcement crack down on its illicit use, it will also protect medicinal access for veterinarians, farmers, cattlemen and ranchers.
 
Senator Manchin was joined by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jim Risch (R-ID), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV.) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), August Pfluger (R-TX), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Ken Buck (R-CO) and Chris Pappas (D-NH).

The full text of the bill is available here.