A Democratic lawmaker is working to accomplish a priority of new Attorney General Pam Bondi. (Reuters)
On Bondi's first day as AG, she directed the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Office of Legal Policy and the Office of Legislative Affairs to advocate for several legislative reforms, including, "Adding xylazine, which has no legitimate human use and makes fentanyl even more lethal, to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act."
Xylazine, increasingly referred to as a "zombie drug," has powerful sedative effects.
Currently, the drug is not scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). According to the DEA, "If xylazine became a federally scheduled substance, however, it would result in more consistent reporting across entities and a fuller picture of xylazine’s presence in all drug exhibits."
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Sen. Chuck Grassley joined Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto to reintroduce the bill. (Photo by SUSAN WALSH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The measure would additionally make sure that intended users of the drug, such as veterinarians, farmers and ranchers, are still able to access it. This would be done by creating an official definition of the "ultimate user" who is "lawfully permitted to possess a controlled substance for legitimate use."
Further, the bill would allow the DEA to track xylazine manufacturing to prevent its infiltration of illegal drug markets.
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Pam Bondi stands shortly before being sworn in as U.S. attorney general in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)
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During Bondi's confirmation hearing last month, she promised that: "If confirmed as the next attorney general of the United States, my overriding objective will be to return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously prosecuting criminals and that includes getting back to basics: gangs, drugs, terrorist cartels, our border, and our foreign adversaries."
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia's reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-looks-codify-new-ag-bondis-desired-crackdown-zombie-drug-xylazine