National Response Plan: Addressing the Threat of Fentanyl Combined with Xylazine

Bottom line up front: The White House released their strategy to decrease Xylazine use. It is heavy on harm reduction and light on enforcement. I write my analysis of the national response at the end of the article. If you want to know more about Xylazine, take my upcoming 1.5 hour live course on Xylazine and what cops need to know (link in the article).

In a press release issued on July 11, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced a comprehensive National Response Plan to combat the growing threat of fentanyl combined with xylazine. This dangerous combination has been declared an emerging threat to the United States by the Biden-Harris Administration, marking the first time such a designation has been made.

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Overview of the National Response Plan

The National Response Plan aims to coordinate a whole-of-government response to this threat, with a focus on six pillars of action: testing, data collection, evidence-based prevention, harm reduction, treatment, supply reduction, scheduling, and research. The plan outlines action steps and key responsibilities for departments and agencies across the federal government, with a goal of reducing xylazine positive drug poisoning deaths by 15% in at least three of four U.S. census regions by 2025, using 2022 as the baseline year.

Collaboration with Federal Government Departments and Agencies

The ONDCP has been working with various federal government departments and agencies, state and local leaders, and subject matter experts to develop and implement this plan. This includes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has taken action to restrict the unlawful entry of xylazine active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage form drug products into the country, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which issued a public safety alert to warn the American public of a sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine.

Role of Law Enforcement in Addressing Xylazine Mixed with Fentanyl

For law enforcement, the plan emphasizes the importance of coordinating with public health colleagues to enhance the efficacy of efforts to reduce and disrupt the illicit supply chain and go after traffickers. The plan also encourages healthcare providers to be alert for signs and symptoms of exposure to fentanyl adulterated with xylazine and to provide effective care for overdose and wounds. State, county, and city health authorities are encouraged to proactively seek out those believed to be consuming fentanyl adulterated with xylazine to offer mobile, low-threshold care before their conditions worsen.

Whole-of-Society Effort to Combat Xylazine and Fentanyl

The National Response Plan underscores that addressing this emerging threat will require a whole-of-society effort. It also notes practical steps that states and individuals can take to help address this issue, including addiction treatment and emergency responders consulting with experts on xylazine detoxification methods to understand emerging practices.

Analysis

The national response is not a response. It is heavy on harm reduction and light on enforcement. The current administration has been floundering on our opioid crisis and there is little hope that this response will actually control the Xylazine issue. With a simple google search, I can find hundreds of vendors selling Xylazine for as little as $10 per kilo. If I can buy Xylazine from a google search right now, there’s no amount of harm reduction effort that Will thwart our crisis. Most of those vendors are Chinese laboratories receiving tax incentives to produce this poison. Until we address China, our open borders, emboldened cartels, and our willingness as a country to enable drug use through harm reduction and drug legalization, we will not be able to control the Xylazine problem.