INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday, Indiana lawmakers passed a bill to outlaw a drug behind a growing number of overdoses.
Xylazine is a drug that also goes by "tranq."
Our 13 Investigates team has been looking into this problem. By last March, Xylazine was found in 55% of syringes in Marion County.
It's an animal tranquilizer that is not approved for human use. Since it is legal for use on animals, it wasn't a crime to possess it.
Drug dealers have been mixing it with fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs. And unlike opioids, Narcan can't fix a Xylazine overdose.
The bill passed Tuesday would make possession of Xylazine a misdemeanor for a first offense. It would be a felony if a person was caught with the drug a second time.
Also in the Statehouse, a controversial bill is awaiting Gov. Eric Holcomb's signature to become law.
It impacts civil lawsuits stemming from car accidents in Indiana.
Under the bill, juries on those cases would get to know whether the accident victim was wearing a seat belt. Then, the jury could use that information to reduce the damages owed.
We've seen similar bills introduced over the years but never one that got House and Senate approval.
Under current law, juries aren't allowed to ask about seat belts, the argument being it takes the focus off who's at fault for the accident.
But supporters say if injuries were worse because the victim wasn't wearing a seat belt, that should be considered when deciding on damages.