HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday has joined a coalition of 21 state attorneys general calling on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to take emergency action to classify bromazolam, a dangerous synthetic sedative often referred to as “designer Xanax,” as a federally controlled substance.
In a letter to DEA Administrator Terry Cole, the attorneys general warned that bromazolam’s growing presence poses a significant public health risk, particularly as the drug is increasingly mixed with opioids and other substances. The synthetic benzodiazepine has been linked to a sharp rise in overdose deaths in Pennsylvania and across the nation.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, designer benzodiazepines first appeared in the state in 2022, contributing to 59 overdose fatalities that year. By 2023, the number of deaths involving bromazolam nearly tripled.
“This substance has no legitimate purpose and is becoming far too common in Pennsylvania and across the nation,” Attorney General Sunday said. He stressed the urgency of giving law enforcement the tools to “proactively target traffickers” and prevent further fatalities.
Unlike regulated prescription medications, bromazolam is illicitly manufactured without quality controls, making its potency unpredictable and increasing the risk of accidental overdoses. Compounding the danger, Narcan — the widely used opioid overdose reversal drug — is ineffective against bromazolam, leaving first responders with limited options during emergencies.
The attorneys general noted that traffickers often disguise bromazolam as legal prescription drugs or combine it with other dangerous substances, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other opioids, heightening its lethality.
The coalition, led by Kentucky, includes attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
If the DEA grants the request, bromazolam would be classified under federal drug scheduling, giving law enforcement stronger authority to remove it from circulation and prosecute traffickers.
Attorney General Sunday emphasized that immediate action is critical as Pennsylvania and other states confront an accelerating synthetic drug crisis.
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