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CIVIC HERALD
S 545 · 119th Congress · SenateOther

Combating Illicit Xylazine Act

In plain language: This bill classifies xylazine—a veterinary sedative increasingly found in illicit street drugs—as a Schedule III controlled substance under federal law. It allows law enforcement to track the drug's distribution and penalize illegal sales, trafficking, and possession. At the same time, the bill protects legitimate veterinary, agricultural, and wildlife uses, ensuring licensed professionals and animal owners can still obtain and administer the sedative without extra registration hurdles.

Provisional: our plain-language summary, pending review.

Provisionalunreviewed: impact, issue tags, provisions, stakeholders, summary
People affectednot determinable from the text provided
Fiscal magnitudeno CBO estimate published
Reach58provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
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Issues

What this bill touches.

Sentencing & corrections−25Drugs & enforcement−35

The sign shows the bill's direction on each issue (+ toward, − away); the number is its magnitude. Color never encodes good or bad, and never party.

Who it affects

Who it helps · who it burdens.

Who it helps

  • Existing xylazine manufacturersAre exempt from having to make capital expenditures for Schedule III physical security upgrades at existing facilities, receive expedited processing of transition applications from FDA and DEA, and receive a one-year grace period before Schedule III labeling and packaging rules take effect.provisional
  • Veterinarians and animal-care practitionersReceive a 60-day delay on practitioner registration, inventory, and recordkeeping rules, and are permitted to continue lawful veterinary practice while their registration applications are under review.provisional
  • Animal owners, caretakers, and authorized animal-control and wildlife programsAre categorized as ultimate users and exempted from Controlled Substances Act registration requirements to possess xylazine lawfully obtained from a registered veterinarian or pharmacy.provisional

Who it burdens

  • Xylazine manufacturers and distributorsMust comply with Schedule III regulations, including reporting transactions through the federal ARCOS tracking system, following Schedule III labeling and distribution rules after one year, and completing manufacturer transition applications.provisional
  • Veterinarians and practitioners administering xylazineMust comply with Schedule III registration, inventory, and recordkeeping requirements within 60 days of enactment.provisional
  • Drug Enforcement Administration and Food and Drug AdministrationMust expedite manufacturer regulatory applications, complete and publicly post a 30-day scientific and law enforcement evaluation, and prepare Congressional reports on xylazine diversion, prevalence, and analogue abuse risks at 18 months and four years.provisional

Who opposes it

  • Illicit xylazine traffickers and unauthorized distributorsFace federal Schedule III criminal penalties and potentially enhanced federal sentencing guidelines for illicit manufacturing, distribution, importation, or trafficking of xylazine.provisional

Dollar-level funding (FEC sector totals) is coming in a later phase.

What it does

The provisions, in plain language.

  1. Classifies xylazine and any mixture containing it as a Schedule III controlled substance under federal law.

    Sec. 3provisional
  2. Authorizes animal owners, animal caretakers, and authorized wildlife or animal-control programs to possess xylazine obtained from a registered veterinarian or pharmacy without obtaining separate controlled substance registrations.

    Sec. 4(a)provisional
  3. Requires xylazine manufacturers and distributors to report transactions through the federal Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System (ARCOS).

    Sec. 5provisional
  4. Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to review and update federal sentencing guidelines and penalties for illicit trafficking and offenses involving xylazine.

    Sec. 6provisional

How your members of Congress line up

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Timeline

How it moved.

  1. Apr 15, 2026Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 372.
  2. Apr 15, 2026Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
  3. Mar 26, 2026Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
  4. Feb 12, 2025Introduced in Senate

The original text

Read it for yourself.

Sources & provenance

Congress.govrefreshed 17 days ago

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