Attempts to ban an emerging drug threat are repeating the mistakes of the drug war, experts caution
Salon: Ryan Marino, assistant professor at the School of Medicine, discussed proposed legislation that would make xylazine—a drug used for sedation, anesthesia, muscle relaxation and analgesia in animals—a controlled substance. “It is unclear what these knee-jerk reactions are intending to accomplish besides imposing additional criminal charges on already vulnerable people who use drugs,” Marino said.