Pennsylvania health officials issue temporary order criminalizing xylazine

State officials have taken formal action to regulate the spread of xylazine, a powerful veterinary tranquilizer increasingly found in street opioid supplies.

A temporary order classifying xylazine as a Schedule III controlled substance took effect in Pennsylvania during the weekend. The move will allow law enforcement to impose additional penalties on those charged with manufacturing or distributing the drug, according to Acting Secretary of Health Debra Bogen.

“This action will protect veterinarians and other legitimate users and manufacturers of xylazine, which is an important medication for animal sedation, while also creating penalties for people who add illicit xylazine to the drug supply that is harming people in our communities,” Bogen said in a statement Friday. “Our focus remains on developing strategies that help connect people with substance-use disorder to treatment and other resources.”