(An article by the Iowa Capital Dispatch, this story was originally published by Pennsylvania Capital-Star) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is calling on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in a joint letter to take emergency action to schedule a drug that has been linked to deaths in the state and across the country.

Bromazolam (pronounced Broh’MAZ-uh-lamb) is described in the letter penned August 17th and 20 other state attorneys general as a “designer Xanax.” The prosecutors say the drug is increasingly contributing to overdose deaths and posing a growing threat to public health. It is also highly potent and unpredictable, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office wrote, especially when mixed with opioids. Narcan, which is used to reverse an overdose, is ineffective against the drug in such emergencies.

Bromazolam is unscheduled under the federal Controlled Substances Act. “Despite its clear dangers, bromazolam remains unscheduled at the federal level, creating significant challenges for law enforcement and public health officials trying to respond to this emerging crisis,” the attorneys generals wrote. “Without scheduling, this drug continues to evade traditional regulatory and prosecutorial tools, hindering interdiction efforts and enabling continued distribution through illicit channels.”

“Taking emergency action to schedule bromazolam will help law enforcement remove it from circulation, give prosecutors the tools to hold traffickers accountable, and send a clear signal that this dangerous substance has no place on our streets,” the attorneys general wrote.

“Bromazolam, or ‘Designer Xanax’ is a lethal, counterfeit drug with no medical use that is highly addictive and killing Americans,” Bird said in a statement. “It is already an illegal drug in Iowa, and I strongly urge the DEA to take swift and definite action at the federal level to give law enforcement the tools they need to stop this crisis, save lives, and hold traffickers accountable.”