Brooks Bill Targeting Dangerous Emerging Drug Passes Senate

HARRISBURG - Sen. Michele Brooks (R-50) announced today the Senate has passed legislation to classify medetomidine as a Schedule III controlled substance in Pennsylvania while preserving access for licensed veterinarians who use the FDA-approved sedative to treat animals, marking another step toward combatting the substance abuse crisis plaguing Pennsylvania.

The northeast leads the nation with a 74.2% detection rate, and Pennsylvania is even higher and right in the center of that storm. This far exceeds other regions, as the detection rate in the Midwest is 56.2%, the south is 30.1% and the west is 3.8%.

"What brings us here today is the alarming reality unfolding in Pennsylvania with medetomidine," Brooks said. "This drug, just two years ago, was virtually unknown in illicit markets, and it is now found in roughly 80% of street drug samples, posing serious health risks to users and first responders alike."

Brooks noted that medetomidine has rapidly overtaken xylazine as a common adulterant in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. While medetomidine was not detected in samples collected in early 2024, it was found in approximately 80% of adulterants sold as fentanyl in Pennsylvania by April 2026. The drug is estimated to be approximately 200 times more potent than xylazine and can cause severe cardiovascular complications, even after naloxone has been administered.

The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support and is also supported by the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, which worked with lawmakers to ensure appropriate veterinary exemptions were included in the legislation.

"I introduced this legislation not just as a lawmaker, but as someone who has watched too many families in our communities face the heartbreak of substance abuse. Nearly all of us know someone - a neighbor, a friend, even a family member - whose life has been touched by this crisis," Brooks said. "Senate Bill 866 provides an opportunity to combat this emerging threat and ensure medetomidine is now treated with the same seriousness as xylazine."

The bill now advances to the House of Representatives for consideration.