A8467A

The New York State Senate passed Assembly Bill 8467A, an update to Matthew's Law that expands harm-reduction drug testing supplies to include xylazine alongside fentanyl. The bill passed 57-0 on a roll call vote. The legislation, sponsored by Assemblemember McDonald and championed by Sen. Fernandez and Sen. Harckham, would make testing kits for xylazine and other dangerous drug adulterants easily accessible at pharmacies statewide. Supporters cited alarming overdose trends, noting that overdose deaths have nearly doubled since 2019 and that xylazine is now present in the majority of drug samples tested in some upstate counties. While all senators voting explained their support for the harm-reduction measure, some, including Sen. Martins and Sen. Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, called for complementary enforcement measures against drug dealers and urged listing xylazine as a controlled substance to strengthen prosecution efforts. The bill takes effect 30 days after becoming law.