By NATHANIEL WEIXEL | 07/11/23 | 5:00 AM ET
The Biden administration is rolling out a national response plan to deal with the threat of fentanyl combined with xylazine.
Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is an easily accessible veterinary drug approved for use in animals as a sedative and pain reliever. But it is also being used by drug dealers as a low-cost cutting agent in drugs like fentanyl, possibly as a way to extend a user’s high.
Officials said the ultimate goal of the plan announced Tuesday is to reduce the number of xylazine drug poisoning deaths by 15 percent in at least three of four U.S. census regions by 2025.
The plan involves six “pillars of action,” which are testing, data collection, prevention, supply reduction, scheduling and research.
“We need more testing to get a national picture of the threat,” Rahul Gupta, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) told reporters during a press briefing.
Gupta said testing for xylazine was ongoing in community and law enforcement settings, but it wasn’t enough. He said the administration will work to develop new tests and make xylazine test strips available for the first time.
Xylazine test strips are available for purchase, Gupta said, and the administration wants to ensure they get into the communities that need them.
He called on Congress to fund the White House budget request for emerging threats to “ensure that we are getting more resources out for prevention treatment, as well as harm reduction measures to people as quickly as possible.”