Beshear administration bans deadly ‘designer Xanax’
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
Gov. Andy Beshear banned the sale of bromazolam, also known as “designer Xanax,” on Aug. 18 through an emergency state designation that changes the drug to a Schedule 1 controlled substance. This change gives law enforcement the ability to arrest anyone selling or possessing the drug.
“Team Kentucky has made important progress in our fight against addiction, with three-straight years of declines in overdose deaths, and we’re committed to ensuring that work continues,” Beshear said in a news release. “This deadly drug has no place in our communities, and now we have the tools needed to get it off the streets and protect more lives.”
The emergency action comes as a coalition of 21 attorneys general, led by Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, is urging the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to ban the unregulated drug. Earlier this month, Coleman called on Kentucky officials to take emergency action to schedule the drug.
“By answering our call to take emergency action on bromazolam, we have given Kentucky law enforcement new tools to keep this dangerous drug off our streets,” Coleman said in the release. “I’m proud of the zealous collaboration with the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force to sound the alarm and save lives. We live in a moment when as little as one pill can kill – and is killing – our kids. I’m glad we could work together to tackle this grave threat.”
Bromazolam — widely known as “designer Xanax” — is being passed off as prescription pills, including benzodiazepines, which are commonly used to treat conditions such as anxiety disorders, insomnia, and seizures.
“There is zero margin of error when it comes to illicit drugs and counterfeit pills,” the attorneys general said in their letter to DEA Administrator Terry Cole, dated Aug. 18. “As parents and public officials, we must do everything possible to cut off the supply of these deadly substances through vigorous enforcement, while also continuing to promote the prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts that are saving lives across our states.”
Bromazolam was detected in 48 overdose deaths in Kentucky in 2024, according to the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy‘s annual report.
Kentucky joins Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia in designating bromazolam as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.