Recently, Rahul Gupta, MD, MPH, FACP, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), declared xylazine—a powerful livestock tranquilizer that’s mixed into fentanyl for IV drug users—an “emerging threat,” forcing the government to develop a federal plan to address the crisis. While Congress considers a bill to classify the drug, also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope,” as a controlled substance, the move by ONDCP gives the Biden administration 120 days to develop a response plan and provide implementation guidance to agencies.
To be blunt, it’s about time.