FRANKFORT, Ky. (WOWK) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said on Monday that bromazolam, also known as “Designer Xanax,” has received an emergency state designation as a Schedule I controlled substance.
As a Schedule I substance, the drug is banned sale in Kentucky, and the move provides law enforcement the ability to make arrests for sales or possession.
A release from Beshear’s office said the designation is in response to a growing number of overdose deaths from the drug. Forty-eight overdose deaths were tied to bromazolam in Kentucky in 2024.
“Team Kentucky has made important progress in our fight against addiction, with three straight years of declines in overdose deaths, and we’re committed to ensuring that work continues,” Gov. Beshear 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.”
Bromazolam, a drug that’s structurally similar to Xanax, was developed in the 1970s but has never been approved for use in the U.S., according to the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association (LAPPA). It started popping up as an illicit drug in the U.S. in 2019.
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The drug has been distributed in tablet and pill form and is often sold under the name “XLI-268,” LAPPA says.
The designation in Kentucky is effective immediately and came at the request of Attorney General Russell Coleman, the release said.
“By answering our call to take emergency action on bromazolam, we have given Kentucky law enforcement new tools to keep this dangerous drug off our streets,” said Attorney General Coleman. “I’m proud of the zealous collaboration with the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force to sound the alarm and save lives. We live in a moment when as little as one pill can kill – and is killing – our kids. I’m glad we could work together to tackle this grave threat.”
Other states that designate bromazolam as a Schedule I controlled substance include Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia. It isn’t classified federally on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s list of controlled substances.
Xanax, meanwhile, is considered a Schedule IV drug federally. According to the DEA, a Schedule IV drug is one with a “low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence.” Other Schedule IV substances include Valium, Ativan and Ambien.
