Beshear bans drug in Kentucky that's being targeted by attorneys general
across the nation
[August 19, 2025]
By BRUCE SCHREINER
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear took emergency action
Monday to ban the sale of “designer Xanax,” responding to a request from
his state's attorney general who is leading a broader effort to combat
the highly potent synthetic drug linked to dozens of overdose deaths
last year in the Bluegrass State.
Beshear's action in his state comes as a coalition of 21 attorneys
general, led by Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, is urging the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to take emergency action banning
the unregulated drug. It poses a growing public health threat and is
increasingly contributing to overdose deaths, the attorneys general said
in a letter dated Monday to DEA Administrator Terry Cole.
“Law enforcement desperately needs the tools to drive this dangerous
drug from our neighborhoods,” Coleman, a Republican, said in a news
release.
In Kentucky, the classification of bromazolam — widely known as
“designer Xanax” — as a Schedule 1 controlled substance took immediate
effect following Beshear's emergency regulation. Bromazolam, Coleman has
warned, is being passed off as prescription pills including
benzodiazepines, which are commonly used to treat conditions such as
anxiety disorders, insomnia, and seizures.
He had urged Beshear's administration to ban the drug in Kentucky, and
the governor's action on Monday empowers law enforcement to make arrests
for selling or possessing the drug, Beshear's office said.
“This deadly drug has no place in our communities, and now we have the
tools needed to get it off the streets and protect more lives,” the
Democratic governor said in a release.
Beshear, a former Kentucky attorney general now in his second term as
governor, is widely seen as a potential candidate for president in 2028.
The drug he and Coleman targeted has been tied to a growing number of
fatal overdoses in Kentucky and across the nation, Beshear's office
said. It was detected in nearly 50 overdose deaths in Kentucky last
year, the office said.
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Gov. Andy Beshear addresses the media at the London Corbin Airport
in London, Ky., May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
 “We live in a moment when as little
as one pill can kill – and is killing – our kids,” Coleman said in
response to Beshear's action. "I’m glad we could work together to
tackle this grave threat.”
In their letter to the head of DEA, the attorneys general said
bromazolam is being sold illicitly on the streets and online. It is
highly potent and unpredictable, they said, especially when combined
with opioids or other central nervous system depressants. Unlike
regulated medications, illicitly manufactured bromazolam lacks
quality controls, making it particularly lethal for unsuspecting
users, they said.
“Despite its clear dangers, bromazolam remains unscheduled at the
federal level, creating significant challenges for law enforcement
and public health officials trying to respond to this emerging
crisis,” the letter said. “Without scheduling, this drug continues
to evade traditional regulatory and prosecutorial tools, hindering
interdiction efforts and enabling continued distribution through
illicit channels.”
Emergency action by the DEA would help law enforcement remove the
drug from circulation, give prosecutors the ability to hold
traffickers accountable and would “send a clear signal that this
dangerous substance has no place on our streets,” the letter said.
Besides Coleman, the request to the DEA included attorneys general
from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia and West Virginia, Coleman's office said.
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