Attorney General Cameron Urges Congress to Protect Kentuckians from Illicit Xylazine

The act would to prevent overdose deaths

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Ky Attorney General Daniel Cameron urged Congress to pass the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act. The bipartisan legislation would curb the widespread use and trafficking of xylazine and help prevent overdose deaths.

Xylazine is a pharmaceutical drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for sedation and pain relief in large animals. Drug dealers have recently begun mixing xylazine with fentanyl and other opioids. The resulting concoction is particularly dangerous because xylazine does not respond to opioid reversal agents such as naloxone.

“Tackling the drug epidemic has been a top priority since the day that I took office, and that job is never totally finished,” said Attorney General Cameron. “This bipartisan legislation would go a long way toward preventing countless tragedies in Kentucky. I urge Congress to pass the bill immediately.”

In their letter to congressional leaders, attorneys general from 39 states “agree that Congress must act quickly to classify the illicit use of xylazine under Schedule III of the [Controlled Substances Act.]” In addition, the bill would allow the Drug Enforcement Agency to track the manufacture and sale of xylazine to ensure it is not maliciously diverted and would require the U.S. Attorney General to submit a report to Congress with recommendations on how to prevent its illicit use.

This is Attorney General Cameron’s latest effort to fight the overdose crisis in Kentucky.

Last September, Attorney General Cameron urged President Biden to classify fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction. In February, he demanded Secretary of State Antony Blinken designate certain Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. And, in March he admonished the Department of Justice for their weak law enforcement response to the fentanyl crisis and offered meaningful recommendations to combat it.

Attorney General Cameron was joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin in sending the letter.

To view a copy of the letter, click here