Photo provided State Rep. Jennifer Meltzer (R-Shelbyville) and committee members listen to testimony on a bill about xylazine.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana House of Representatives has voted to pass a bill authored by Rep. Jennifer Meltzer, R-Shelbyville, that would establish criminal penalties against people found in possession of an animal sedative called xylazine.
The bill, HB 1203, cleared the House in an 85-12 vote on Tuesday, state records show. Meltzer and Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, voted in favor of the bill, while Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, voted against it.
HB 1203 would make punishments for possession of xylazine a Class A misdemeanor or a Level 6 felony depending on the individual’s criminal history, according to a copy of the bill, which cleared House Courts and Criminal Code Committee in a 11-1 vote on Jan. 25. Meltzer is vice chair of the committee.
The bill also includes some exemptions, including for people who dispense, prescribe or administer the drug to animals.
Xylazine, also known by its street name “tranq,” is a veterinary drug first developed in the 1960s as a sedative and muscle relaxer for animals like cattle, horses and elk, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
However, the drug, which is not approved for human use, has been popping up in “an increasing number of illicit drug mixtures” and “has also been detected in a growing number of overdose deaths” across the country, according to a DEA report.
The Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office said in its most recent annual report that the drug has been detected in toxicology screenings one time each year from 2019 to 2022. All of those cases also involved the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl.
The bill now heads to the Indiana Senate for consideration.
“Xylazine is being mixed with illicit drugs like heroine and users can experience horrible side effects and potentially long-lasting consequences,” Meltzer said in a statement. “Our goal is to give law enforcement a new tool to get this drug off our streets and hold bad actors accountable while also protecting the drug’s veterinary uses.”
