Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Kentucky designated "bromazolam" as a Schedule 1 controlled substance as Gov. Andy Beshear also led a push to have it designated similarly at the federal level.
Beshear announced the effort to ban the drug, also known as "designer Xanax" Monday after bromazolam was detected in at least 48 overdose deaths in Kentucky last year.
"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 two-term Democratic governor said in a statement.
The governor's signature immediately banned the drug from being sold in Kentucky and empowered law enforcement to act and arrest for sales or possession. It also provides further tools for authorities in Beshear's statewide crackdown.
Related
