BY: SAMANTHA BARTLETT, DVM
Xylazine is increasingly found mixed with narcotics, including fentanyl, positing a serious health and safety risk to the people who use them. AVMA has championed legislation that is being reintroduced to Congress to address the dangers of xylazine while ensuring its availability to veterinary medicine.
The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act would reclassify xylazine as a Schedule III drug, giving the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) more tools to address the use of illicit xylazine by the public. Scheduling the drug would keep the drug available for veterinary use and would allow the DEA to track the supply.
The bill was widely supported by the last Congress with a version passing the House. However, the motion was blocked in the Senate on a procedural point. The AVMA has continued to work with both sides of the aisle and was able to secure the support needed to reintroduce the bill to the new Congress. The bill also has the support of the DEA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In a letter submitted to record during a hearing of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, Dr. Sandra Fae (AVMA President) said, “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. 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 DEA has already started the administrative process for the classification of xylazine as a scheduled drug. Without the statutory changes by Congress to keep xylazine available for veterinary use, the drug’s use will be limited by the DEA and supply disruptions or complete loss of the drug from the marketplace can occur.
Individuals that wish to get involved can ask members of Congress to support the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act. AVMA members can also take action through the AVMA’s Congressional Action Network.
