Kris Mayes calls on Congress to pass bill regulating 'zombie drug' xylazine's fentanyl use

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes' office announced on Thursday her support for a bill that would combat the illicit use of an animal tranquilizer that authorities say has led to deaths after being mixed and consumed with opioids like fentanyl.

Mayes, according to her office, joined 38 other attorneys general across the country in signing a letter calling for Congress to pass the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, which is designed to prohibit certain uses of the veterinary medication.

“The growing threat Xylazine poses to communities must be met by swift congressional action,” Mayes said in a statement. "I urge Congress to quickly pass the bipartisan Combating Illicit Xylazine Act and help protect our communities from this so-called zombie drug."

In her statement, Mayes said xylazine, also referred to as "tranq," will only heighten the "fentanyl crisis" by worsening the deadly drug and leaving the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone as less effective. Naloxone is popularly known by the brand name Narcan.

According to Mayes' office, some of the remedies the bill offers are:

• tracking the manufacture and sale of xylazine

• classifying xylazine as a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence

• ensuring illicit use of salts, isomers and other forms of xylazine are restricted

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Among the attorneys general Mayes joins in the push for the bill's passage are those of all four states that border Arizona: California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico.

What is xylazine?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), "xylazine is a central nervous system depressant that can cause drowsiness and amnesia and slow breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure to dangerously low levels." Combining opioids with xylazine raises life-threatening overdose risks, the NIDA explained.

The congressional bill "would provide critical measures to combat the widespread illicit use and trafficking of xylazine and help prevent xylazine-related deaths," the Mayes' office said, adding there was "a surge in overdose deaths nationwide related" to the drug "easily obtainable online."

The White House Office of National Drug Policy on April 12 designated xylazine "an emerging threat."

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration only authorizes xylazine as a sedative and pain reliever for large animals, warning healthcare professionals in November of the drug's misuse and possible resistance to naloxone.

The Drug Enforcement Administration reported in October that xylazine was "reported as an adulterant in an increasing number of illicit drug mixtures" and "has also been detected in a growing number of overdose deaths" found combined with fentanyl.

Specific data on the use of the drug in Arizona was not immediately available, but the DEA found that between 2020 and 2021, there was a 750% increase in xylazine-positive overdose deaths in western states, according to a 2022 report. Southern states saw a 1,127% spike in those same years, according to the report.

In 2022, according to the DEA, approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the agency contained xylazine.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Xylazine regulation bill pushed by Kris Mayes, other attorneys general