White House lays out effort against animal sedative xylazine but doesn’t call for new restrictions

By MATTHEW PERRONE
AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are calling for more testing and research on xylazine, the powerful animal sedative that’s spreading through the nation’s illicit drug supply. But the officials stop short of recommending new restrictions on the veterinary drug. The White House’s top drug control official on Tuesday said the Biden administration aims to scale up testing, treatments and efforts to intercept illegal shipments of xylazine. The administration declared xylazine-laced fentanyl an “emerging threat” in April. The drug has increasingly been detected among fatal overdoses. Drug czar Dr. Rahul Gupta says administration officials will “explore” making xylazine a scheduled drug but haven’t recommended that step. Several states have already restricted the drug.