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CINCINNATI (WKRC) – A new and deadly drug known as the “designer Xanax” is causing alarm in the Tri-State area, with local authorities warning of its increasing presence on the streets.
“It is killing people. It’s extremely harmful,” Scott Hardcorn, director of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force said.
Hardcorn, who has led the force since 2021, first encountered bromazolam in 2023.
The drug often appears as counterfeit pills resembling Xanax and has been seized in various colors, Hardcorn said. In 2024, Kentucky reported 47 deaths related to bromazolam. Rob Sanders, Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney, explained the drug’s effects.
“It does the exact same thing to your body that heroin or fentanyl does,” said Sanders.
Despite its dangers, bromazolam is not listed as a controlled substance, complicating prosecution efforts. Sanders described the situation as “about the closest thing you can get to risk-free drug dealing,” due to the minimal punishment associated with its distribution.
“If somebody has a big bag—over a hundred grams of fentanyl—they could end up in prison for the rest of their lives,” said Sanders.
However, because bromazolam is not on the schedule, they could sell a whole pickup truck full of bromazolam, and it’s still one to five years for that simulated controlled substance. A recent investigation by the drug strike force intercepted a package containing 958 bromazolam pills.
Both Hardcorn and Sanders have reached out to Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman calling for changes to the laws.
Coleman is calling on Kentucky’s Secretary for Health and Family Services to use emergency powers to regulate the drug.
“We can’t have anything in our communities that is this deadly without consequences,” said Hardcorn.