Pennsylvania Declares Xylazine A Schedule III Controlled Substance

The aftershocks of the opioid epidemic have followed each other so quickly since the pill mills shut down in the middle of the last decade that it is hard to keep track of the newest opioids that are making headlines because of their newfound prevalence in the illegal drug supply.  First heroin, which had been old news since the days of crack cocaine, experienced a resurgence in the supply of street drugs.  After that, almost every stash of counterfeit prescription pills seized in a drug bust amid a series of overdoses seemed to test positive for fentanyl, regardless of whether the pills purported to contain oxycodone or a non-opioid drug nonetheless sought after on the dark web, such as Valium or Adderall.  Of course, no matter how strong these new opioids are, naloxone can reverse the symptoms of overdose if given promptly enough.  Fentanyl, carfentanil, and any of the nitazenes have nothing on Narcan.  Xylazine, however, is not an opioid, so it is beyond the reach of naloxone, and now it is officially a controlled substance.  If you are facing criminal charges for possession of xylazine, contact a Pittsburgh drug crime lawyer.

The Party’s Over for Party Animals, but Charismatic Megafauna Can Party On

Xylazine is a central nervous system depressant.  It is among the most commonly used drugs in veterinary medicine for tranquilizing animals for capture from the wild or anesthetizing them for surgery.  Depending on the dose, vets use xylazine to tranquilize animals of any size, from the smallest household pets to the megafauna that drive the safari tourism industry.  In fact, xylazine is one of the few drugs strong enough to tranquilize Earth’s largest land animals, including the elephant, the giraffe, and the rhinoceros.

As for why and how xylazine entered the illegal drug supply for humans, it first caught the attention of authorities in Florida several years ago.  Like fentanyl, xylazine is inexpensive because a tiny dose can produce the effects that users want, but the trouble is that anything greater than that tiny dose is strong enough to kill, and as is often the case with street drugs, buyers do not know what quantity of the active ingredient is in the powder they are buying.

In the News

Xylazine caused plenty of destruction before receiving an official designation as a controlled substance, but now Pennsylvania has made a decision about just how illegal xylazine is.  In May 2024, Pennsylvania added xylazine to the list of Schedule III controlled substances.  This means that it is in the same category as ketamine and anabolic steroids.  Schedule III controlled substances are pharmaceutical drugs that are widely used in medicine but carry a high potential for abuse.

Contact Gary E. Gerson About Criminal Defense Cases

A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges for possession or distribution of xylazine or another Schedule III controlled substance.  Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.

Source:

abc27.com/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-criminalizes-illicit-use-of-xylazine-also-known-as-tranq/