Attorney General Jason Miyares has joined a coalition of 21 states urging the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to take emergency action against bromazolam, a synthetic benzodiazepine drug that has been linked to deaths across the United States. The group is asking the DEA to schedule bromazolam as a controlled substance at the national level.
Currently, bromazolam is classified as a Schedule I substance in Virginia. However, it is not scheduled nationally, which coalition members say poses risks due to lack of regulation and quality control.
In a letter addressed to DEA Administrator Terry Cole, the attorneys general warned about the potency and unpredictability of bromazolam. They stated that without national scheduling and quality controls, the drug remains especially dangerous for users who may be unaware of its effects.
“Taking emergency action would help law enforcement remove bromazolam from circulation, give prosecutors the tools to hold traffickers accountable, and send a clear signal it has no place on the streets of America’s neighborhoods,” according to the letter signed by Miyares and his counterparts.
The coalition includes attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
The full letter can be read here.
