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EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
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Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0417*
HOUSE BILL 417
J1 6lr2611
HB 1109/25 – HGO CF SB 435
By: Delegates Pippy and Kerr , Kerr, Alston, Bagnall , Cullison, Guzzone, Hill,
Hutchinson, S. Johnson, Kaufman, Kipke, Lopez, Martinez, M. Morgan,
Reilly, Rosenberg, Ross, Szeliga, Taveras, White Holland, and Woorman
Introduced and read first time: January 22, 2026
Assigned to: Health
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 22, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Public Health Criminal Law – Schedule III Controlled Dangerous Substances – 2
Medetomidine and Xylazine Consumer Protection Act 3
FOR the purpose of prohibiting a retailer from distributing, selling, or exposing for sale a 4
medetomidine product or a xylazine product unless the purchaser provides to the 5
retailer certain proof; prohibiting a retailer from distributing, selling, or exposing for 6
sale a medetomidine product or a xylazine product to an individual under a certain 7
age; requiring a retailer that prepares, distributes, sells, or exposes for sale a 8
medetomidine product or a xylazine product to maintain certain records; requiring 9
the Maryland Department of Health to remit all civil penalties collected for a 10
violation of certain provisions of this Act to the Comptroller to be deposited in the 11
Maryland Substance Abuse Fund establishing medetomidine and xylazine as 12
Schedule III contro lled dangerous substances under the Maryland Controlled 13
Dangerous Substances Act ; and generally relating to medetomidine and xylazine 14
products. 15
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 16
Article – Health – General 17
Section 8–6A–01(a) 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 20
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 21
2 HOUSE BILL 417
Article – Health – General 1
Section 8–6A–01(b)(3) 2
Annotated Code of Maryland 3
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 4
BY adding to 5
Article – Health – General 6
Section 21 –2G–01 through 21 –2G–03 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 2G. 7
Medetomidine and Xylazine Consumer Protection Act” 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 10
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 11
Article – Criminal Law 12
Section 5–404 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17
Article – Health – General 18
8–6A–01. 19
(a) In this section, “Fund” means the Maryland Substance Abuse Fund. 20
(b) (3) The Fund consists of [the]: 21
(I) THE fee required under § 6 –229 of the Criminal Procedure 22
Article[, money]; 23
(II) CIVIL PENALTIES COLLECTED AND REMITT ED TO THE 24
COMPTROLLER UNDER § 21–2G–02(E) OF THIS ARTICLE; 25
(III) MONEY appropriated in the State budget to the Fund[, all]; 26
(IV) ALL earnings from investment of money in the Fund [,]; and 27
[other] 28
(V) ANY OTHER money accepted for the benefit of the Fund from a 29
governmental or private source. 30
SUBTITLE 2G. MEDETOMIDINE AND XYLAZINE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT. 31
21–2G–01. 32
HOUSE BILL 417 3
(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 1
INDICATED. 2
(B) “MEDETOMIDINE PRODU CT” MEANS A PRODUCT CONT AINING ANY 3
AMOUNT OF MEDETOMIDINE. 4
(C) (1) “RETAILER” MEANS A PERSON THAT: 5
(I) SELLS, PREPARES, OR MAINTAINS MEDETOM IDINE 6
PRODUCTS OR XYLAZINE PRODUCTS; OR 7
(II) ADVERTISES, REPRESENTS, OR HOLDS ITSELF OUT AS 8
SELLING, PREPARING, OR MAINTAINING MEDETOMIDINE PRODUCTS AND XYLAZINE 9
PRODUCTS. 10
(2) “RETAILER” INCLUDES A MANUFACTU RER, A WHOLESALER , A 11
CORPORATION, A PARTNERSHIP , A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, A FIRM , AN 12
ONLINE PLATFORM, OR ANY OTHER BUSINESS ENTITY DOING BUSINESS WITHIN THE 13
STATE. 14
(D) “XYLAZINE PRODUCT” MEANS A PRODUCT CONTAINING ANY AMOUNT OF 15
XYLAZINE. 16
21–2G–02. 17
(A) A RETAILER MAY NOT DISTRIBUTE OR SELL A MEDETOMIDINE PRODUCT 18
OR XYLAZINE PRODUCT UNLESS THE P URCHASER PROVIDES TO THE RETAILER 19
PROOF OF THE PURCHAS ER’S INTENT TO USE THE MEDETOMIDINE PRODUCT OR 20
XYLAZINE PRODUCT FOR AN INSTITUTIONAL , VETERINARY, OR SCIENTIFIC 21
PURPOSE. 22
(B) A RETAILER MAY NOT DIS TRIBUTE, SELL, OR EXPOSE FOR SAL E A 23
MEDETOMIDINE PRODUCT OR A XYLAZINE PRODUCT TO AN INDIVIDUAL UNDER THE 24
AGE OF 21 YEARS. 25
(C) A RETAILER THAT PREPAR ES, DISTRIBUTES, SELLS, OR EXPOSES FOR 26
SALE A MEDETOMIDINE PRODUCT OR A XYLAZIN E PRODUCT SHALL MAIN TAIN 27
RECORDS OF ALL SALES, INCLUDING A COPY OF: 28
(1) THE IDENTIFICATION USED AS PROOF OF THE PURCHASER’S AGE; 29
AND 30
4 HOUSE BILL 417
(2) EACH DOCUMENT OR OTHE R MATERIAL USED AS P ROOF OF THE 1
PURCHASER’S INTENDED USE. 2
(D) A RETAILER THAT VIOLAT ES THIS SECTION IS S UBJECT TO A CIVIL 3
PENALTY NOT EXCEEDING: 4
(1) $3,000 FOR A FIRST VIOLATION; OR 5
(2) $6,500 FOR EACH SUBSEQUENT VIOLATION. 6
(E) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL REMI T ALL CIVIL PENALTIE S COLLECTED 7
UNDER SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION TO THE COMPTROLLER TO BE DEPOSITED 8
IN THE MARYLAND SUBSTANCE ABUSE FUND. 9
21–2G–03. 10
THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADOP T REGULATIONS TO CAR RY OUT THIS 11
SUBTITLE. 12
Article – Criminal Law 13
5–404. 14
(a) Schedule III consists of: 15
(1) MEDETOMIDINE; 16
(2) XYLAZINE; AND 17
(3) each controlled dangerous substance by whatever official name, 18
common or usual name, chemical name, or brand name: 19
[(1)] (I) added to Schedule III by the Department under § 5–202(b) of this 20
title; or 21
[(2)] (II) designated as a Schedule III controlled dangerous substance by 22
the federal government unless the Department objects under § 5–202(f) of this title. 23
(b) The Department may not add a substance to Schedule III under § 5 –202 of 24
this title unless the Department finds: 25
(1) a potential for abuse of the substance that is less than that for the 26
substances listed in Schedule I and Schedule II; 27
HOUSE BILL 417 5
(2) well documented and approved medical use of the substance in the 1
United States; and 2
(3) evidence that abuse of the substance may lead to moderate or low 3
physical dependence or high psychological dependence. 4
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 5
October 1, 2026. 6
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.