Opioids have remained a major focus for Congress in recent years, given the scope of their spread across the United States, and this came to a head once more this week with the House’s passage of the TRANQ Research Act (H.R.1734), which now heads to President Joe Biden.
If approved, the bill would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to grow partnerships and focus its science and research efforts on detecting, identifying and better understanding synthetic opioids. The bipartisan bill passed both the House and Senate with little difficulty, after being introduced jointly by Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Collins (R-GA) and U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), as well as cosponsored by 24 Republican and Democrat lawmakers.
“Fentanyl is plaguing our communities, and dangerous additives like Xylazine are making it even more deadly,” Collins said. “By funding research into detection methods for these dangerous substances, we are helping local law enforcement and Border Patrol protect themselves when they encounter dangerous narcotics like the Zombie Drug in the field.”
Tranq – also known as the Zombie Drug – refers to a new fentanyl analogue, which incorporates a veterinary tranquilizer known as xylazine. Between 2020 and 2021, its use grew by 61 percent in the Northeast, 198 percent in the South, 7 percent in the Midwest and 112 percent in the West, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). However, the DEA also admitted xylazine’s use and related overdoses could be more widespread than even that, as many jurisdictions may not test for it.
“New illicit drugs like tranq are fueling an epidemic that is devastating American communities, including families here in Colorado. We need to head off these alarming new threats before they spread,” Caraveo said. “My and Rep. Collins’ TRANQ Research Act will give law enforcement the data and information they need to combat the distribution of tranq and other deadly substances.”
Tranq can cause side effects such as large wounds that won’t heal, and has proven resistant to standard opioid overdose treatments.
While the bill would rely heavily on NIST’s scientific expertise to address tranq and other drugs, it would not increase spending, expand authorizations or compel cooperation by private entities with federal efforts. It would, however, allow collaborative partnerships between agencies, nonprofits and education institutions, uniting public and private entities to seek the best counters and to expand real-time analysis. Key focuses would be on developing analytical methods to identify and distinguish illicit drugs, as well as creating technologies to increase drug identification efficiency.