YourVoice.Now Summary
Criminal Justice & Due ProcessCorporate BenefitsTransparency & AccountabilityWould make xylazine, the animal sedative known as "tranq," a controlled drug — pet owners and vets keep access.
Criminal Justice & Due Process
Xylazine would join Schedule III, the federal list of controlled drugs. Making, selling, or handing it out beyond vet channels would bring federal drug charges. A first selling offense carries up to ten years in prison, with no minimum term.
The United States Sentencing Commission would review what prison terms fit xylazine crimes, including trafficking and smuggling. It could then change the rules federal judges follow. It is told to weigh the common street forms of the drug and its use alongside other controlled drugs.
You could still hold xylazine for your own animals, animals in your care, or an approved animal-control or wildlife program. It would have to be dispensed by a registered vet, or by a pharmacy filling a vet's order. Agencies, businesses where animals are kept, and their staff are covered too.
Corporate Benefits
Controlled drugs must be kept under strict lock-up rules. Firms already making xylazine when the law takes effect would not have to pay for those upgrades. Firms starting later would.
Controlled drugs carry special rules for labels, packing, and shipping. For xylazine those would wait one year. Vets and pharmacies get 60 days for sign-up and records, and may keep working while an application is pending.
Transparency & Accountability
Xylazine would be added to ARCOS, a federal system that tracks controlled-drug shipments. Makers and wholesalers would report each sale to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The change also reaches drugs approved for animals, not just people.
A report due in 18 months would cover how widespread illicit xylazine is, where it is being diverted, where it comes from, and whether look-alike versions pose a risk. A second report is due in four years.
More about this bill
Xylazine, an animal sedative sold on the street as "tranq," would become a controlled drug. It is often mixed into street fentanyl. Most households would see no change. People who keep pets, horses, or livestock could still get it for their animals. It would have to come from a vet, or a pharmacy filling a vet's order. Owners would not have to sign up with any federal agency. The same goes for animal control and wildlife work. Making or selling xylazine outside those channels would become a federal drug crime. Any amount mixed into another product would count. Xylazine would land on Schedule III, where a first selling offense carries up to ten years. No minimum term is set by law. A federal sentencing panel would study the prison terms judges use in these cases. It could then change them. Firms already making xylazine would skip the storage upgrades that controlled drugs normally need. New labeling and shipping rules would wait one year. Vets and pharmacies would get 60 days to register and start keeping records. Drug makers and wholesalers would report each xylazine shipment to the DEA. Two reports to Congress would track where street xylazine comes from. They are due in 18 months and four years.
Congressional Summary
Combating Illicit Xylazine ActThis bill regulates xylazine under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).Xylazine, also known as tranq, is a nonopioid sedative and pain reliever that is approved for use in animals. Recently, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has reported an increase in trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine.This bill adds xylazine, including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers, to schedule III of the CSA. Schedule III controlled substances, including anabolic steroids, buprenorphine, and ketamine, have less potential for abuse than a schedule I or II substance, have a currently accepted medical use, and have low or moderate risk of dependence if abused.Under the bill, manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing xylazine, or possessing with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense xylazine for illicit use is subject to criminal penalties under the CSA. The bill also requires xylazine transactions to be tracked in the drug reporting system maintained by the DEA.The bill exempts from registration under the CSA persons and entities that possess xylazine (1) lawfully dispensed by a veterinarian or pharmacy and (2) for an animal or for use in certain animal-control or wildlife programs.The bill also exempts xylazine manufacturers from the CSA's physical security requirements.Finally, the bill requires the DEA, in coordination with the Food and Drug Administration, to report on (1) the prevalence and impact of illicit xylazine use in the United States, and (2) updated information on the prevalence and proliferation of xylazine trafficking and misuse in the United States.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-02-12
- Date Added
- 2026-08-27
- Source
- Congress.gov →
Like reading a bill in plain English?
We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.