Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Joins Bipartisan Group of Attorneys General in Urging Congress to Pass the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently joined a bipartisan coalition of 38 other attorneys general in urging federal lawmakers to pass the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act amid the sudden surge of overdose deaths related to the drug.

In addition to causing drowsiness and amnesia, xylazine, a non-opioids veterinary tranquilizer, can lead to dangerously low blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration rate, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which adds, “people exposed to xylazine often knowingly or unknowingly used it in combination with other drugs, particularly illicit fentanyl.”

The drug is commonly referred to as “tranq” or “zombie drug” on the streets, NIDA notes.

The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act (H.R.1839) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in March by California Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19). If enacted, the bill would:

  • Classify the illicit use of xylazine as a Schedule III drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act;
  • Allow the DEA to track the manufacturing and sales of xylazine to ensure that it is not diverted;
  • Require the U.S. Attorney General, acting through the DEA and in coordination with the FDA Commissioner, to submit a report to Congress detailing the prevalence, risks, and recommendations on how to regulate the illicit use of xylazine; and
  • Ensure all salts, isomers, and other forms of xylazine are also covered when restricting the drug’s illicit use.

“We, the undersigned Attorneys General, write you to request that you pass S. 993/H.R. 1839, the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, without delay…Xylazine is a growing danger to communities across our nation. With a record number of overdose deaths, we must confront this new threat,” the coalition of attorneys general wrote in a letter to federal lawmakers.

In 2021, there were a total of 94 xylazine-involved deaths among Tennessee residents. At this time, there is no xylazine reversal agent approved for human use.

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “AG Jonathan Skrmetti” courtesy AG Jonathan Skrmetti and “Xylazine” by California Department of Health.

 

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