Governor Andy Beshear announced that bromazolam, also known as “designer Xanax,” has been designated as a Schedule 1 controlled substance and is banned from being sold in Kentucky.
The emergency classification comes after the narcotic has been tied to a growing number of fatal overdoses in Kentucky and across the country. In 2024, bromazolam was connected to 18 overdose deaths in the state according to Beshear’s Office. Attorney General Russell Coleman also requested for the narcotic to be scheduled as a controlled substance.
Beshear says Team Kentucky has made important progress in the fight against addiction, with three-straight years of declines in overdose deaths, and this deadly drug has no place in communities. Coleman says bromazolam’s scheduling gives Kentucky law enforcement new tools to keep the narcotic off of the streets.
Along with Kentucky, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia have designated bromazolam as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.