Attorney General Jackley Urges Congress to Pass Legislation Protecting Communities from Illicit Xylazine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878 

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley joins 40 other Attorneys General in urging Congress to pass the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, which would classify Xylazine as a federally controlled substance and would help law enforcement stop the spread of the drug.

“I have long stressed the public health dangers of Xylazine that is often mixed with fentanyl and other opioids,” said Attorney General Jackley. “South Dakota has been proactive in addressing this threat to communities while protecting its use for livestock purposes, and it is time for Congress to act now.”

Xylazine, widely known by its street name “tranq,” is a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer used for large animals, including horses, and is not approved for any human use. Xylazine is not an opioid and therefore does not respond to the overdose reversal drug naloxone, thus greatly increasing its lethality when mixed with opioids.

In 2024, Attorney General Jackley proposed House Bill 1028 which makes the use and possession of Xylazine a crime in South Dakota outside of veterinary livestock purposes. The Attorney General’s bill was passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor. 

The letter is led by the Attorneys General of New York, Arkansas, Connecticut, and Tennessee. Other Attorney Generals joining the letter are from: American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

A copy of the letter is found here: www.naag.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Combating-Illicit-Xylazine_FINAL.pdf

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