Pa. moves to classify 'Tranq' as a controlled substance

Apr. 18—PHILADELPHIA — Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday that his administration's intent to schedule the animal tranquilizer xylazine as a controlled substance as the drug is increasingly identified in overdose deaths.

Used to sedate large animals in veterinary medicine, the sedative has found a place in the illegal drug trade as a cutting agent for fentanyl. It's known by the street name "Tranq." Shapiro said the drug extends a user's high.

Toxicology screenings identified "Tranq" in approximately 620 fatal overdoses in the commonwealth in 2022, Shapiro said, a near 700% increase from 2017. He said the number is likely higher as the substance's presence may not have been sought in all toxicology reports.

An estimated 5,000 fatal drug overdoses were recorded in Pennsylvania last year, according to federal data.

Though naloxone has proven a lifesaver in reversing fatal heroin and fentanyl overdoses, it has no effect in reversing a xylazine overdose because that substance isn't an opioid.

"A lot of times when people take it they don't even realize it's mixed into the fentanyl they're taking," Shapiro said, a refrain once reserved for fentanyl itself when it began turning up more frequently in heroin.

"It's already found in about 90% of the drug supply right here in Philadelphia," Shapiro said while visiting the notorious Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, known as an open-air drug market.

Shapiro announced that he directed the Department of Health to temporarily schedule xylazine as a Schedule III narcotic for up to one year. That class of drugs which includes Tylenol with codeine is considered to have low to moderate risk of dependence.

Another substance, nitazine, a synthetic opioid with no approved uses, will be temporarily classified as a Schedule I narcotic, the same designation as heroin, ecstasy and marijuana.

First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford, Philadelphia Police Department, said the governor's decision empowers law enforcement by strengthening the potential penalty for the illegal distribution and sale of xylazine and allows for stiffer prosecution.

State law allows the health secretary to add a substance to the controlled list for several reasons including the risk to public health, cited Tuesday by Shapiro.

along with current scientific knowledge about particular substances and its potential for abuse.

Both notices will be published in Saturday's edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin. The Office of Attorney General will receive a copy of the notices and has 30 days to comment.

Kristen Rodack, executive deputy secretary, Department of Health, said the agency anticipates the scheduling change to take effect in May.

Dr. Latika Davis-Jones, acting secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, stressed that addiction is not a crime or a moral failing; rather, it's a chronic disease.

"The longer we keep people alive the greater chance we have to get people into the care and treatment that they need and deserve," she said. "We are now seeing xylazine in almost every community in Pennsylvania."

Scheduled narcotics are subject to tighter scrutiny in security, record keeping, purchasing and delivery. Manufacturers and distributors must verify the recipient is licensed and authorized to purchase such substances. Practitioners must control access within their offices.

"Veterinarians who use xylazine have no reason to worry if they're using it for legitimate purposes," Shapiro said, later clarifying he didn't suspect veterinarians of widespread aiding the drug's prevalence on the street. "They will still have access to it for their work. But, taking this step will make it harder for these illegal drugs to be used illegally and illicitly."

Davis-Jones said at a budget hearing last month that efforts were underway to establish a testing mechanism for xylazine along the lines of simple, cost-effective test strips recently legalized in Pennsylvania for fentanyl.

However, one other harm reduction strategy Shapiro said he doesn't support is supervised injection sites. He said his administration would consider legal action if such a site were to materialize, depending on the outcome of ongoing litigation concerning the legality of such an operation.