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Tranq dope: Animal sedative xylazine made a controlled drug in Ohio

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Terry DeMio, Cincinnati Enquirer
·1 min read
A fentanyl drug testing kit warns about the dangers of the animal sedative xylazine, which has been found in many fentanyl combination drugs.
A fentanyl drug testing kit warns about the dangers of the animal sedative xylazine, which has been found in many fentanyl combination drugs.

An animal sedative that has been increasingly found in fentanyl, causing an added danger to people who use drugs, is now a controlled substance in Ohio.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order directing the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to immediately classify xylazine as a Schedule III controlled substance, making Ohio one of the first states in the nation to schedule xylazine as a controlled substance drug.

Coroner: Xylazine contributed to 50 overdose deaths in 2022 in Hamilton County

Xylazine is a central nervous system depressant used in veterinary medicine as a sedative, anesthetic, and muscle relaxant. The substance, which is not approved for human consumption, has increasingly been found in the illicit drug supply in Ohio, frequently mixed with fentanyl or new synthetic opioids such as nitazene.