Arkansas AG Tim Griffin joins 20 AGs calling for DEA to ban ‘designer Xanax’

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has joined a multi-state effort by attorneys general calling for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to ban “designer Xanax”.

The effort, led by Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, calls for the DEA to take emergency action to schedule bromazolam, often referred to as “designer Xanax”.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Aug. 18 that the drug was given an emergency designation as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning the drug is banned for sale in the state of Kentucky and provides law enforcement the ability to make arrests for sales or possession.

Coleman said in the letter that bromazolam is “both highly potent and unpredictable, especially when combined with opioids or other central nervous system depressants.”

Illicitly manufactured bromazolam lacks quality controls, making it especially lethal for unsuspecting users, Coleman said in the letter.

According to the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA), Bromazolam, a drug that’s structurally similar to Xanax, was developed in the 1970s but has never been approved for use in the U.S.

Bromazolam is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia. However, it is not listed on the DEA’s list of controlled substances.

A spokesperson for Griffin gave the following statement to KNWA/FOX24 on Thursday regarding his inclusion in the letter:

“Bromazolam is increasingly being illicitly sold and linked to overdose deaths, particularly when combined with opioids or other central nervous system depressants. The harm caused by bromazolam is a nationwide problem that requires state and federal collaboration to adopt a nationwide solution, such as the DEA federally scheduling this dangerous designer drug.”

Griffin joined attorneys general from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia in the effort.