With dozens of overdoses in Kentucky attributed to the drug known as bromazolam, Attorney Russell Coleman wants the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to schedule the drug. It's a move that would grant law enforcement greater ability to crack down on the substance.
Bromazolam entered recreational drug supplies in 2019 in the U.S., though the substance was first synthesized decades ago. It was never approved for therapeutic use, but Coleman tells Fox56 it's being sold as if it were a prescription pill to fight anxiety, insomnia, or seizures.
"It looks like the same Xanax bars many may have in their medicine cabinet," he warned. "That's that's what makes this threat so insidious."
The drug is reportedly being sold on the streets and online — with the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force raising concerns about a recent influx of the pills.
Coleman's press release calls the drug "highly potent and unpredictable."