Pennsylvania tightens control on xylazine, animal sedative linked to opioid overdoses.

Pennsylvania will classify xylazine, a powerful veterinary sedative that has been mixed with fentanyl in the state's opioid supply, as a Schedule III drug. This will allow for tighter record keeping, storage requirements, and prosecution for illegal possession and sale. Nitazenes, a class of synthetic opioids, will also be classified as a Schedule I narcotic. Xylazine contributed to 575 overdose deaths across 30 counties in 2021, and Philadelphia reported that 90% of street opioid samples contained the drug.