CVMA’s Board of Directors has signed on in support of H.R. 1839/S.993, the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act. The bill is a national piece of legislation that would help maintain access to xylazine for veterinary uses.
Along with AVMA, other veterinary medical associations in almost all 50 states have signed on in support of the legislation.
CVMA and AVMA support this bill because it:
- Keeps access to xylazine for veterinary uses. Xylazine for use in non-human species would continue to be overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a prescription animal drug.
- Establishes harsher penalties for anyone found importing, manufacturing, or possessing xylazine meant for distribution and use in people under the Controlled Substances Act.
- Requires manufacturers and distributors of legitimate xylazine to report sales to the DEA through an existing tracking system (ARCOS) that identifies unusual activity or changes in ordering patterns.
Some states have already passed their own laws that may jeopardize the availability of xylazine. CVMA is monitoring this in Colorado, and has not heard talk of regulation in the state.
CVMA is concerned that increased regulations on legitimate xylazine to address illicit xylazine will result in supply chain disruptions or eliminate the product from the market. If xylazine continues to have a patchwork of regulations across the states, there is a risk that it will cease to be available because of the increased regulatory burden and costs for the drug manufacturers.
See below for more details from the AVMA.
