Bill Text: NJ S4045 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires controlled dangerous substances seized by law enforcement officers to be tested for presence of xylazine; requires reporting to DOH.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-14 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S4045 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S4045-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Requires controlled dangerous substances seized by law enforcement officers to be tested for presence of xylazine; requires reporting to DOH.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the testing of certain substances seized by law enforcement and amending P.L.2019, c.504.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2019, c.504 (C.52:17B-246) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. The Attorney General shall maintain a program to monitor drug activity in this State and surrounding regions. The program shall provide for multi-jurisdictional sharing of drug incident information among law enforcement agencies. Information related to drug seizures, overdoses, criminal behavior, and health care-related services shall be collected and analyzed for the purpose of:
(1) assisting in facilitating the development of enhanced policies and practices to prevent drug abuse and misuse; and
(2) mitigating the harm drugs inflict on communities.
The program shall monitor and analyze trends related to the presence and content of fentanyl or xylazine in illegal substances seized by law enforcement throughout the State. In order to identify these trends, the Attorney General shall require controlled dangerous substances seized by law enforcement officers in the State to be tested for the presence of fentanyl or xylazine in accordance with protocols established by the Division of State Police.
b. The seized substances shall be tested in accordance with protocols established by the Division of State Police to determine whether fentanyl, xylazine, or other potentially lethal substances are present in the substance and, if so, any available information related to the presence and content of fentanyl or xylazine in the substance shall be reported to the Attorney General in a timely manner.
c. The testing shall be performed using forensic laboratory analysis techniques the Division of State Police determines to be appropriate to evaluate whether a substance contains fentanyl or xylazine.
d. The information received pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall be compiled into a database that is accessible by all law enforcement agencies throughout the State. The information shall be continuously updated to reflect the most current information available concerning the presence of fentanyl or xylazine in illegal substances in the State. In addition to the information received pursuant to subsection b. of this section, the database shall include, but not be limited to, any other information that the Attorney General determines to be relevant to fentanyl or xylazine use that is received by the forensic laboratory in the Division of State Police and Chief State Medical Examiner.
e. The information received pursuant to this section pertaining to the presence of fentanyl and xylazine in illegal substances, including but not limited to information related to drug seizures, overdoses, and fentanyl and xylazine related deaths shall be submitted from the Division of State Police to the Department of Health for inclusion in the New Jersey State Assessment Data System and Overdose Data Dashboard maintained by the Center for Health Statistics and Informatics.
f. As used in this section, "xylazine" means any of the following substances, including their salts, isomers, and salts of isomers whenever the existence of such salts, isomers, or salts of isomers is possible with the specific chemical designation: xylazine; xylazine-M (2,6Mich dimethylaniline); xylazine-M (N-thiourea-2,6-dimethylaniline); xylazine-M (sulfone-HO-) isomer 2; xylazine-M (HO-2,6-dimethylaniline isomer 1); xylazine-M (HO-2,6-dimethylaniline isomer 2); xylazine-M (oxo-); xylazine-M (HO-) isomer 1; xylazine-M (HO-) isomer1 glucuronide; xylazine-M (HO-) isomer 2; xylazine-M (HO-) isomer 2 glucuronide; xylazine-M (HO-oxo-) isomer 1; xylazine-M (HO-oxo-) isomer 1 glucuronide; xylazine-M (HO-oxo-) isomer 2; xylazine-M (HO-oxo-) isomer 2 glucuronide; xylazine-M (sulfone); xylazine-M (sulfone-HO-) isomer 1; and any compound, mixture, or preparation that contains any quantity of any of the substances listed in this subsection.
(cf: P.L.2019, c.504, s.1)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires controlled dangerous substances seized by law enforcement officers to be tested for the presence of xylazine in accordance with protocols established by the Division of State Police. The bill requires the Division of State Police to transfer the information pertaining to the presence of xylazine in controlled dangerous substances to the Department of Health for inclusion in the New Jersey State Assessment Data System and Overdose Data Dashboard maintained by the Center for Health Statistics and Informatics.
Under current law, the Attorney General has established a program to monitor and analyze trends related to the presence and content of fentanyl in illegal substances seized by law enforcement throughout the State. The information is compiled in a database accessible to all law enforcement agencies. Under the bill, xylazine is required to be included as a dangerous substance to be monitored and analyzed by the State Police. The bill also requires the database to include any other information that the Attorney General determines to be relevant to fentanyl or xylazine use that is received by the forensic laboratory in the Division of State Police and Chief State Medical Examiner.
Xylazine, which is also known by the street names "tranq," "tranq dope," and "zombie drug," has been approved for use as an animal sedative and is commonly used in veterinary practice, but has not been approved for use in humans. However, it has been reported that xylazine has been increasingly detected in illegal street drugs, and particularly in opioid drugs, as it can enhance and prolong the euphoric effects of opioids.
