Committee advances bill to add concentrated synthetic to Schedule I, criminalize candy-like Xylazine products

The committee voted to report SB 432 favorably after sponsor Senator Yarbrough described multiple changes to the controlled-substances chapter. The bill would add a concentrated synthetic compound (identified in committee as '70H' at a threshold concentration) to Schedule I, remove from the schedule FDA-approved veterinary Xylazine products, create a first-degree felony (with a mandatory minimum three-year sentence) for selling or possessing Xylazine products that resemble candy or contain cartoon character imprints or trade logos, and create a first-degree felony for trafficking in Xylazine.

Senator Osgood, who identified herself as a person living in recovery from substance use disorder for 36 continuous years, urged support on public-health grounds, recounting the danger when illicitly sold substances are mixed with other drugs and can be lethal. Law-enforcement organizations and the attorney general's office waived in support.

The committee recorded a favorable roll-call report for SB 432. The sponsor acknowledged work from colleagues who began reviewing the matter in the prior year.