Nevada senator plays key role as White House battles emerging xylazine threat

By Casey Harrison (contact)

Sunday, July 16, 2023 | 2 a.m.

President Joe Biden’s administration is deploying a whole-of-government approach to stem a nationwide trend of illicit fentanyl being combined with a powerful animal sedative, which officials say has the potential to exacerbate the nation’s opioid epidemic — and may be counting on legislation introduced by a Nevada senator to do so.

On Tuesday, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, or the ONDCP, released a national response to mobilize federal agencies against fentanyl tainted with xylazine, which in April was classified by the government as an “emerging threat.” Known by the street name “tranq,” xylazine in the 1970s received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for use in animals such as horses and cattle. It has never been approved for human use.

“Since we announced the emerging drug threat earlier this year, we’ve been working tirelessly to create the best plan of attack to address this dangerous and deadly substance head-on,” said Rahul Gupta, director of the ONDCP. “Now, with this National Response Plan, we are launching coordinated efforts across all of government to ensure we are using every lever we have to protect public health and public safety, and save lives.”

That comes after the Drug Enforcement Administration in December 2022 issued an alert to the public about a sharp increase in the mixing of xylazine and fentanyl occurring nationwide, especially in the Northeast and South. The powerful and illicit cocktail slows breathing and can result in painful, disfiguring wounds on the user’s body. In some cases it also has proven to be deadly.

In March, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., introduced the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, which would classify illicit use of the drug under Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, but would still allow it to be used for its intended veterinary purpose.

Gupta told reporters that xylazine had been detected in nearly every state, and since May, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the monthly percentage of fentanyl-involved deaths with xylazine jumped 276% from January 2019 to June 2022 — accounting for roughly 11% of all illicit fentanyl overdose deaths as of last month.

Biden’s plan outlines action the federal government will pursue to preserve public safety, including short- and long-term measures to provide relief to communities nationwide, the White House said. The plan will focus on six main points: testing, data collection, evident-based prevention and treatment, supply reduction, scheduling and research.

The plan outlines actions for departments and agencies across the federal government, and directs them to develop and submit an implementation report to the White House within 60 days. But to properly address the threat, the Biden administration is seeking to reduce xylazine-positive drug poisoning deaths by 15% in at least three of four U.S. census regions by 2025, according to the White House.

The DEA noted in an October 2022 report that xylazine was readily available through pharmaceutical distributors and internet sites catering to veterinarians and animal handlers, but the report noted it was also readily available from other websites in either liquid or powder form. It’s often available with no relation to veterinary needs, nor requirements to prove legitimate need from it.

Further, a kilogram of xylazine powder can be purchased from suppliers in China for as low as $6, according to the DEA report. Because of its low price and easy access, “its use as an adulterant may increase the profit for illicit drug traffickers, as its psychoactive effects allow them to reduce the amount of fentanyl used in a mixture,” the DEA states.

In Clark County, Metro Police have encountered xylazine on 13 instances in the past year and a half, when the agency first began keeping track, narcotics Detective Josh Garber told the Sun in April. Of that, xylazine was discovered in three overdose investigations, though Metro was unable to confirm if xylazine could be attributed as a cause of death.

Garber said because xylazine was a sedative and not an opioid, an overdose cannot be reversed by Narcan, known generically as naloxone, an opioid-overdose antidote often carried by first responders and caregivers. In March, the FDA approved Narcan for over-the-counter sales.

“Basically, they are taking our fentanyl pills — our M30 pills, which are fake oxycodone pills — and those are purchased on the streets here in Clark County and in Las Vegas,” Garber said. “Narcan does not work (to reverse the overdose), so that’s what scares us a little bit. It is a relatively new drug that’s still out there.”

Cortez Masto’s bill has been endorsed by attorneys general from 39 states, in addition to the American Veterinary Medical Association and, locally, the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association. While it hasn’t yet been assigned to a committee, the bill has earned the backing of Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and has been cosponsored by 14 others from both sides of the aisle.

So with an appetite to get something done, Cortez Masto is hopeful her bill can help fit into a bigger picture. 

“The White House is taking action to protect our communities from xylazine, and it’s clear they see the urgency of cracking down on traffickers and transnational criminal organizations using this drug to pad their profits,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “To save lives, we must empower law enforcement to limit the flow of xylazine into our neighborhoods while protecting its legitimate use in veterinary medicine, and I will continue working with the administration and my colleagues to pass my legislation and get them the tools they need.”