Legislation would combat illicit ‘tranq,’ protect legal uses by veterinarians

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and colleagues introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Combating Illicit Xylazine Act last week.

The bill would list xylazine as a Schedule III controlled substance while protecting the drug’s legal use by veterinarians, farmers and ranchers.

Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is an easily accessible veterinary tranquilizer being used as a low-cost cutting agent for fentanyl. The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act would regulate xylazine and give law enforcement the tools necessary to go after traffickers of the drug for illicit use. The bill is endorsed by 39 state attorneys general — including Virginia’s — major law enforcement organizations and veterinary organizations.

“I’m fully committed to addressing the fentanyl crisis. I’m glad that bipartisan legislation I’ve led in the Senate to help keep Virginians safe from fentanyl was signed into law by President Biden, but there’s more work to do. That includes protecting our communities from the illicit use of xylazine, which is often mixed with fentanyl to create an even more lethal drug. I’m glad to partner with my colleagues on this bipartisan, commonsense approach to do that, while making sure the veterinarians who need xylazine to treat animals can still access it,” Kaine said.

The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act would:

Schedule xylazine as Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act;
Ensure veterinarians, farmers, and ranchers can still use the drug for its intended purpose by creating a clear definition of “ultimate user” – someone lawfully permitted to possess a controlled substance for legitimate use;
Enable the DEA to track its manufacturing to ensure it is not diverted to the illicit market; and
Require a report on prevalence, risks, and recommendations regarding xylazine.

Kaine has long advocated for more resources to combat the fentanyl crisis. He introduced and Congress passed the bipartisan Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act to direct increased federal attention to fentanyl trafficking by declaring fentanyl trafficking a national security threat, using Pentagon resources like counter-drug intelligence, and involving Mexico as an active partner to combat the crisis. Kaine also helped pass a supplemental national security funding package that included the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Kaine, to require the president to sanction drug rings involved in international drug trafficking.

Last July, Kaine traveled to Brownsville and McAllen, Texas to discuss fentanyl interdiction at the southern border with various law enforcement agencies and international partners from Mexico. Last year, he introduced the bipartisan Strengthening Tracking Of Poisonous Tranq Requiring Analyzed National Quantification Act, or the STOP TRANQ Act to require the State Department to include reporting on xylazine, or “tranq,” in its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR).

Related stories:

‘Addressing the fentanyl crisis’: Lawmakers introduce legislation to stop powerful sedative ‘tranq’

Tranq is a cheap, deadly cutting agent in illicit drugs: Congress takes aim