OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Gentner Drummond is calling on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to take emergency action on bromazolam, known as “designer Xanax,” which is increasingly contributing to overdose deaths and poses a growing threat to public health in Oklahoma.
Drummond and a coalition of 20 state attorneys general want the DEA to schedule bromazolam under the Controlled Substances Act. In a recent letter to DEA Administrator Terry Cole, the group outlined safety concerns calling the drug “highly potent and unpredictable.” Naloxone, or Narcan, is ineffective against bromazolam overdoses, further highlighting the dangers associated with its use.
“We’re seeing the devastating impact of this drug firsthand in Oklahoma and across the country,” said Drummond. “Every day we delay scheduling bromazolam is another day this lethal substance remains accessible to those who would exploit and endanger our citizens.”
Pictured: Bromazolam, known as “designer Xanax,”
Taking emergency action would help law enforcement remove the drug from circulation, give prosecutors the tools to hold traffickers accountable, and send a clear signal it has no place on the streets of America’s neighborhoods.
Drummond joined other attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
