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Xylazine commission split on scheduling: law enforcement pushes penalties while public health urges surveillance and harm reduction
Summary
A state commission debating whether Massachusetts should schedule xylazine heard sharply different recommendations: law-enforcement voices urged criminal penalties for non-veterinary use, while public-health officials warned scheduling could be duplicative, ineffective and worsen disparities and instead recommended surveillance, drug checking and outreach.
Chair Mindy Dom convened a full-day virtual meeting of the Xylazine Commission that included extensive discussion about whether Massachusetts should classify xylazine beyond its automatic designation in Schedule 6. Representative Ixaros, drawing on a 40-year policing background, argued the Commonwealth needs clearer criminal prohibitions for non‑veterinary xylazine use and ‘‘some type of combined education and enforcement’’ to give law enforcement tools to act when appropriate.
Deputy Director Sarah Ruiz, speaking from a public-health perspective, countered that xylazine is ‘‘most often’’ found as a contaminant alongside opioids such as fentanyl and…
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