Public Health Officials Stand Ready to Implement White House Xylazine Response Plan

July 12, 2023

ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) CEO Michael Fraser, PhD, made the following statement regarding the White House release of the Fentanyl Adulterated or Associated with Xylazine Response Plan to address this emerging drug threat to the United States:

"ASTHO welcomes the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s release of a coordinated federal response to address this emerging drug threat to the United States. Xylazine, a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use, has infiltrated the illicit drug supply across the country and threatens to increase overdose and worsen outcomes for people who use drugs. This National Response Plan outlines a path forward for state health agencies to redouble existing overdose prevention strategies with an expanded focus to improve testing; expand data collection; implement evidence-based prevention and harm reduction and treatment strategies; and build capacity among providers.

We applaud the Administration’s plans to coordinate these efforts across key federal partners, and we look forward to supporting state-level implementation of these strategies. ASTHO and our members are committed to ensuring the health and well-being of the public and stand ready to apply these strategies to this emerging threat. Preventing and mitigating harms related to the combination of fentanyl and xylazine will require us all to work together to establish a comprehensive response encompassing prevention, monitoring, harm reduction, and treatment strategies."

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ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.