A drug that caused four dozen overdose deaths in Kentucky last year is on the verge of being added to the federal schedule of controlled substances.
The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) formally announced the Trump Administration’s intention to add bromazolam (aka “Designer Xanax”) to the federal schedule of controlled substances.
“The move will empower law enforcement across the country to crack down on the drug, and it will increase awareness of the drug’s potentially deadly effects,” the attorney general’s office said.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Russell Coleman led a 21-state coalition calling on the DEA to schedule the drug.
“Although there are still additional steps in the federal regulatory process, the DEA’s announcement is a major step toward protecting Kentuckians and all Americans from bromazolam,” the attorney general’s office said. “By temporarily classifying bromazolam as a Schedule I drug, the DEA acknowledges it has a high potential for abuse and there is no currently accepted medical use in the U.S.”
Sold illicitly on the streets and online, bromazolam has proven to be both highly potent and even lethal, especially when combined with opioids or other central nervous system depressants.
“Law enforcement must continue running faster to keep up with the ever-evolving drug threat facing Kentucky and our nation. When the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force sounded the alarm about bromazolam and its deadly effects, we took action to take this drug off our streets,” Coleman said. “Time and again, the Trump Administration has proven how seriously it takes the drug crisis in this country, and we are proud to work alongside the President and the DEA to keep Kentuckians safe.”
The Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, the attorney general’s office said, reported 48 overdose deaths involving bromazolam in Kentucky in 2024.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
