White House Calls for Coordinated Response Against Xylazine

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced a plan to coordinate a response against xylazine, the powerful animal sedative that is often mixed with fentanyl. The plan does not include new restrictions on xylazine, the Associated Press reports.

The plan’s “pillars of action” include increasing testing, treatment and efforts to intercept illegal xylazine shipments. ONDCP Director Dr. Rahul Gupta said administration officials will consider making xylazine a scheduled drug. This would make it subject to regulatory restrictions for prescribing, dispensing and storing, similar to opioids and amphetamines. Some states have already scheduled xylazine, but these efforts have been opposed by veterinarians, farmers and others who work with it.

The ONDCP plan calls for developing rapid tests for use by hospital staff and community workers treating those experiencing overdoses.

A government report released last month found the monthly percentage of illegally manufactured fentanyl-involved deaths with xylazine detected increased 276% (from 2.9% to 10.9%) between January 2019 and June 2022.