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Congress is moving to designate an animal tranquilizer that's infiltrating the illegal drug trade as a controlled substance, to better allow authorities to track it and prosecute traffickers. ... Bipartisan legislation introduced Tuesday by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reflects the growing alarm over the proliferation of xylazine, a sedative known as "tranq" or "zombie drug" that's often mixed with fentanyl, resists common overdose reversal treatments like naloxone and causes skin-rotting wounds. (Moreno, 3/29)

The bill would require manufacturers to send reports on production and distribution to the DEA so the agency can ensure that it is not being diverted to the black market. “Our bipartisan bill would take important steps to combat the abuse of xylazine by giving law enforcement more authority to crack down on the illicit distribution of this drug, including by putting stiffer penalties on criminals who are spreading this drug to our communities,” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H, a cosponsor of the bill, said in the statement. “My colleagues on both sides of the aisle are seeing the impact of this deadly drug in their states, and we will continue working together to move this critical bill forward.” (Chavez, 3/29)

The record number of Americans dying of fentanyl overdoses is now the “single greatest challenge we face as a country,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told a Senate panel Wednesday. The statement appeared to be the first time Mayorkas or any other Cabinet-level member of the Biden administration has described the deadly synthetic opioid in those terms. Appearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, Mayorkas cited the deaths of more than 70,000 Americans in 2021 tied to fentanyl overdoses. (Miroff, 3/29)

A bill heading to Idaho Gov. Brad Little is necessary to keep Idaho’s psychiatric hospitals and behavioral health centers in operation, authorizing nearly $150 million in spending for Idaho’s behavioral health division. But one sentence written into the legislation could have far-reaching consequences. (Dutton, 3/28)

Currently, using a test strip to detect either fentanyl or xylazine is illegal in Texas. That could change during the legislative session: Gov. Greg Abbott said he supports legalizing fentanyl test strips, which can detect the presence of fentanyl in a drug sample. Multiple bills being considered by lawmakers this session would explicitly legalize the use of fentanyl test strips. One of the bills, House Bill 362, has passed out of committee. But the bills being considered by lawmakers would only legalize test strips that could detect fentanyl, and wouldn’t decriminalize ones that could detect the newer xylazine, which is on its way to become the latest threat infiltrating Texas’ drug supply. (McCarthy, 3/30)

People in addiction commonly use testing strips to identify the presence of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid involved in Philadelphia’s soaring rate of overdose deaths. Now, a Canadian company is manufacturing xylazine testing strips, which research from Philadelphia’s health department and a local lab has found to be effective in detecting the tranquilizer on the street. (Whelan, 3/29)

The caretaker at the hillside cemetery braced against the cold and walked among the graves. Crosses cast shadows on bunched flowers. A strand of tinsel gleamed from a bare tree. He looked over the rows and shut the gate, his face red, his hands small and coarse. “I’ve got to come back and pick up the garbage,” the caretaker said. “People leave it.” He glanced at a visitor, anticipating the question. “We had a few kids who overdosed,” he said, nodding toward the graves. “But none for a little while.” (Fleishman, 3/29)

The seller, who went by the name Linda Wang, was curt when asked if she sold a chemical often used to create fentanyl. “That’s banned,” Wang replied, before quickly providing an alternative: “CAS79099 powder is best. U can have a try.” After more than a week of back and forth, she seemed impatient. “Ok. 79099 powder in USA warehouse now…if you need. Pls order asap,” she wrote in a text message exchange. (John, Xiong, Culver, Rappard and Joseph, 3/30)

There is new evidence that fibromyalgia, and the chronic pain associated with it, could worsen opioid use disorder. Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, College of Medicine and University of Michigan report their findings in Pain. (3/29)

KHN: $50 Billion In Opioid Settlement Cash Is On The Way. We’re Tracking How It’s Spent. 

More than $50 billion in settlement funds is being delivered to thousands of state and local governments from companies accused of flooding their communities with opioid painkillers that have left millions addicted or dead. That’s an enormous amount of money — double NASA’s budget and five times the revenue of an NBA season. But how that massive windfall is being deployed and how future dollars will be spent seem to be shrouded in mystery. Reporting requirements are scant, and documents filed so far are often so vague as to be useless. (Pattani, 3/30)

KHN: Localize This: Public Reporting Of Opioid Settlement Cash

State and local governments will, over the next nearly two decades, receive billions of dollars from companies accused of sparking the opioid epidemic. KHN recently published an investigation showing these jurisdictions have promised little to no public reporting on how that money is spent. The investigation is based on a detailed analysis of hundreds of written plans, statutes, executive orders, and public statements, first conducted by Christine Minhee of OpioidSettlementTracker.com and bolstered by KHN’s reporting. The information has been compiled into an interactive map and a detailed spreadsheet that we hope can help others investigate opioid settlement stories in their communities. (Pattani, 3/30)