| 45 | | - | WHEREAS, xylazine is a non-opiate sedative, analgesic, and muscle relaxant that has been only approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for veterinary use; and WHEREAS, xylazine has been increasingly identified as a cutting agent or adulterant in the illicit drug supply, often mixed with fentanyl, which increases the risk of a fatal drug overdose; and WHEREAS, as of November 2022, xylazine was found in the illicit drug supply in forty-eight of fifty states and is currently associated with one in ten fatal fentanyl overdoses; and WHEREAS, although symptoms of xylazine use and opioid use are similar, overdose reversal agents such as naloxone do not counteract the effects of xylazine; and WHEREAS, there is currently no drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to reverse the effects of xylazine in humans; and WHEREAS, in 2023, multiple states considered legislation to schedule xylazine as a controlled substance; and WHEREAS, historically state drug paraphernalia laws have prohibited the possession of drug-checking equipment, such as fentanyl test strips, which can be used by a person who uses drugs to test their supply for an adulterated substance; and WHEREAS, in order to combat overdose deaths from drugs adulterated by fentanyl, legislatures across the country have altered their drug paraphernalia laws to either explicitly legalize fentanyl test strips or generally legalize drug-checking equipment; and WHEREAS, similar steps should be taken to combat the rise of drugs adulterated by xylazine; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Law Enforcement is requested to conduct a study to determine if xylazine testing strips should be excluded from the State's definition of drug paraphernalia; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Law Enforcement is requested to submit a report of its study, including findings and recommendations, and any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Law Enforcement. Report Title: DLE; Xylazine Test Strips; Drug Paraphernalia; Study |
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| 45 | + | WHEREAS, xylazine is a non-opiate sedative, analgesic, and muscle relaxant that has been only approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for veterinary use; and WHEREAS, xylazine has been increasingly identified as a cutting agent or adulterant in the illicit drug supply, often mixed with fentanyl, which increases the risk of a fatal drug overdose; and WHEREAS, as of November 2022, xylazine was found in the illicit drug supply in forty-eight of fifty states and is currently associated with one in ten fatal fentanyl overdoses; and WHEREAS, although symptoms of xylazine use and opioid use are similar, overdose reversal agents such as naloxone do not counteract the effects of xylazine; and WHEREAS, there is currently no drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to reverse the effects of xylazine in humans; and WHEREAS, in 2023, multiple states considered legislation to schedule xylazine as a controlled substance; and WHEREAS, historically state drug paraphernalia laws have prohibited the possession of drug-checking equipment, such as fentanyl test strips, which can be used by a person who uses drugs to test their supply for an adulterated substance; and WHEREAS, in order to combat overdose deaths from drugs adulterated by fentanyl, legislatures across the country have altered their drug paraphernalia laws to either explicitly legalize fentanyl test strips or generally legalize drug-checking equipment; and WHEREAS, similar steps should be taken to combat the rise of drugs adulterated by xylazine; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the Senate concurring, that the Department of the Attorney General is requested to conduct a study to determine if xylazine testing strips should be excluded from the State's definition of drug paraphernalia; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of the Attorney General is requested to submit a report of its study, including findings and recommendations, and any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Attorney General. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Xylazine Test Strips; Drug Paraphernalia; Study; Attorney General |
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