Attorney General Jason Miyares has joined a coalition of 21 states urging the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to take emergency measures to schedule bromazolam, a synthetic benzodiazepine. The drug has been linked to deaths nationwide and is currently classified as a Schedule I substance in Virginia.
The group sent a letter to DEA Administrator Terry Cole, stating that bromazolam is highly potent and unpredictable. The coalition warned that without national scheduling and quality controls, the drug poses significant risks to users who may not be aware of its dangers. According to the letter, emergency action by the DEA would help law enforcement agencies remove bromazolam from circulation, assist prosecutors in holding traffickers accountable, and communicate that such substances are not acceptable in American communities.
“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 sent by Attorney General Miyares and other state attorneys general.
In addition to Virginia, 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 signed the letter addressed to DEA leadership.
The full text of the letter can be read here.
