WASHINGTON — The U.S. House is preparing to take up a series of bills aimed at combating new and emerging dangerous drugs and the tools used to manufacture them, as lawmakers respond to a rapidly evolving illicit drug market.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has advanced three measures to the full House: the Combatting Xylazine Act, the STOP Nitazenes Act and the Stop Pills That Kill Act. Together, the proposals target powerful synthetic substances and the equipment used to produce counterfeit pills.
One of the bills, the Combating Xylazine Act, would classify xylazine as a Schedule III controlled substance and give the Drug Enforcement Administration new tools to track its distribution, while still allowing legitimate veterinary use by farmers, ranchers and wildlife professionals. Xylazine, often referred to as “tranq,” is a veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use. In recent years, it has increasingly been mixed with fentanyl, contributing to a growing number of overdoses. The drug is associated with severe side effects, including extreme sedation, disorientation and serious skin wounds. Although it has not yet been federally scheduled, many states have taken action individually. A coalition of 40 attorneys general is now urging Congress to pass legislation to address its spread.
Lawmakers are also considering the STOP Nitazenes Act, which would place an entire class of synthetic opioids known as nitazenes under federal control. Some of these substances are significantly more potent than fentanyl and have no accepted medical use. While the DEA has already scheduled several nitazenes, traffickers continue to develop new variations to evade existing laws. Originally developed decades ago as a potential alternative to morphine, nitazenes were never approved due to their high risk of overdose. The DEA says these drugs are now entering the U.S. supply, often mixed into other substances without users’ knowledge, making them especially dangerous. Authorities have warned that their potency, low cost and reduced responsiveness to standard overdose-reversal treatments increase the risk of deadly outcomes.
A third proposal, the Stop Pills That Kill Act, focuses on disrupting the production of counterfeit pills. The legislation would require serialization of pill presses and key components, increase penalties for knowingly importing or exporting equipment used to make illicit drugs, and mandate a national plan to address the synthetic drug crisis, including expanded education and prevention efforts.
Concerns about pill press distribution have grown in recent years, highlighted by enforcement actions and major seizures involving equipment capable of producing tens of thousands of pills per hour.
The three bills now move to the House floor, where they could be taken up for a vote as early as September.
