Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s seeing momentum grow for passage of his bill that would put new restrictions on a drug called xylazine. It’s also known as the “zombie drug,” as it’s used by veterinarians and farmers as a tranquilizer for large animals.
The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act is bipartisan, as Grassley teamed up to introduce it with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada.
Since the bill was introduced almost a year ago, Grassley says 23 co-sponsors have signed on in the Senate, along with 88 co-sponsors in the House.
A 2022 report from the DEA found 23% of fentanyl powder contained xylazine. It causes depressed breathing and heart rate, unconsciousness, necrosis, and death, while naloxone does -not- reverse its effects because it is not an opioid.
