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6.12.26 Community Events Read more
HARRISBURG, June 9 – State Reps. Greg Scott and Liz Hanbidge, both D-Montgomery, today announced the Pa. House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee advanced their bill (H.B. 2529) that would classify the veterinary medicine medetomidine as a Schedule III controlled substance. Medetomidine is a non-opioid sedative used by veterinarians. It is not approved for use in people. But data now shows that up to 80 percent of fentanyl samples tested in Pennsylvania contain it, increasing the risk of overdose for people who illegally use fentanyl. “Today’s vote is an important first step in getting control of medetomidine’s use in the illegal drug market,” said Scott. “Too many lives are lost to opioids as it is. We don’t need these animal sedatives added to the mix and making it harder to reverse overdoses.” According to Scott, a concern with medetomidine is that its sedative effects do not wear off if the overdose-reversing drug naloxone is used – though the lawmakers caution that in any suspected opioid overdose, naloxone should still be administered. In 2024, Pennsylvania designated another sedative drug, xylazine, a Schedule III controlled substance. In response, the use of xylazine in street drugs declined. The representatives hope repeating this tactic with medetomidine will have the same impact. “The growing presence of Read more
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Data now shows that up to 80 percent of fentanyl samples tested in Pennsylvania contain medetomidine, increasing the risk of overdose for people who illegally use fentanyl. Read more
HARRISBURG, May 8 -- Members of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus today announced the introduction of legislation to strengthen and protect voting rights for Pennsylvanians in response to recent federal court decisions weakening key protections under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. For decades, the Voting Rights Act protected Black voters and other minority communities from discriminatory practices such as racial gerrymandering, voter intimidation and barriers designed to suppress participation in the democratic process. However, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais and Tennessee, increased the burden required to challenge discriminatory voting maps, placing minority voters at greater risk of having their voting power diluted. In response, the proposed legislation would establish stronger protections in Pennsylvania law to safeguard fair representation and equal access to the ballot box. “The Voting Rights Act was the cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement and has been foundational in the building of a multiracial democracy. And now that democracy is put at risk. Our ancestors fought and died for these protections, and the United States Supreme Court has whisked those sacrifices away with the wave of a hand; silencing the voices of voters that lawmakers will simply choose not to listen to, said state Rep. Napoleon Nelson, chair of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. Read more
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