S-545 — Combating Illicit Xylazine Act

YourVoice.Now Summary

Criminal Justice & Due ProcessCorporate BenefitsTransparency & Accountability

Would make xylazine, the animal drug known as "tranq," a controlled drug — vets keep access.

Criminal Justice & Due Process

Xylazine trafficking becomes a federal crime — any amount counts

Xylazine would join Schedule III, the federal list of controlled drugs. Making or selling it outside vet channels would bring drug charges.

Prison terms for xylazine cases — sentencing panel must review guidelines

The United States Sentencing Commission would study what prison terms fit xylazine crimes, including trafficking and smuggling. It could then change the rules federal judges follow at sentencing.

Reach of drug charges for animal owners — vet-dispensed use exempt

You could still keep xylazine for your own animals, animals in your care, or an approved animal-control or wildlife program. It would have to come from a registered vet, or a pharmacy filling a vet's order, and no federal sign-up would be needed.

Corporate Benefits

Xylazine makers skip storage upgrades — no new plant spending required

Controlled drugs must be kept under strict lock-up rules. Firms already making xylazine when the law passes would not have to pay for those upgrades. Firms starting later would.

One-year delay for xylazine makers — labeling and shipping rules wait

Controlled drugs carry special rules for labels, packing, and shipping. For xylazine, those rules would wait one year after the law passes.

Grace period for vets and pharmacies — 60 days to register

Vets and pharmacies handling xylazine would have to register with the DEA and log what they hold. Those duties would start 60 days after the law passes, and a clinic that had applied could keep working while its application is pending.

Transparency & Accountability

Xylazine shipments tracked — makers and wholesalers report to DEA

Xylazine would be added to ARCOS, a federal system that tracks drug shipments. Makers and wholesalers would report each sale to the DEA.

Government's xylazine evidence goes public — posted online within 30 days

The report would include the full health review of xylazine sent to the Justice Department by December 31, 2025. Both agencies would post it on their websites.

More about this bill

Xylazine, a drug used to calm animals, would become a controlled drug under federal law. On the street it is known as "tranq," and it is often mixed into street fentanyl. Most households would see no change. People who keep pets, horses, or livestock could still get xylazine for their animals. It would have to come from a vet, or from a pharmacy filling a vet's order. Owners would not have to sign up with any federal agency to keep it. The same is true 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. The United States Sentencing Commission would review the prison terms judges use in xylazine cases. It could then change them. Companies 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. Within 30 days, health and justice officials would have to post their review of the drug online. Two later reports to Congress would track where street xylazine comes from. They would be due in 18 months and four years.

Congressional Summary

Combating Illicit Xylazine Act This 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 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to provide Congress with a report on how the agencies previously determined whether xylazine should be a controlled substance, including the full text of HHS's recommendations to the DEA for scheduling xylazine.

Legislative Subjects

Congressional oversightConsumer affairsCriminal procedure and sentencingDrug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulationDrug trafficking and controlled substancesLicensing and registrationsManufacturingU.S. Sentencing CommissionVeterinary medicine and animal diseases

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: Senate
Status: summarized
Action: Reported to Senate
Action Date: 2026-04-15
Date Added: 2026-07-11
Source: Congress.gov →

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