WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today praised the Senate’s passage of his bipartisan legislation to help combat the rise in illicit use of the dangerous animal tranquilizer xylazine, or tranq. The Testing, Rapid Analysis, and Narcotic Quality (TRANQ) Research Act, which Sen. Cruz introduced with Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to take steps to enhance understanding of tranq and other novel synthetic drugs, develop new tests for detection, and establish partnerships with front-line entities that are often the first points of contact with new street drugs.

Following passage of the TRANQ Research Act, Sen. Cruz said:

“I am pleased that the Senate has passed this common sense, bipartisan legislation to improve our ability to detect a truly horrifying drug that is killing Texans. Since tranq is not an opioid, it poses a unique threat, rendering medications commonly used to reverse opioid overdoses completely ineffective. I am grateful to Senator Welch for working with me to ensure our law enforcement and those on the frontlines of the drug crisis have access to reliable data and research that will help us combat this deadly substance.” 

Sen. Welch added:

“The drug supply in our country has become more potent and less predictable, and it’s worsening an already brutal overdose crisis. This bill will support vital research to combat new substances in the drug supply and help confront the overdose crisis head-on. I’m proud to have joined Sen. Cruz to pass this important, bipartisan legislation.”

The Texas Municipal Police Association has said about the bill:

“The drug epidemic is not just a Texas problem – it’s a national problem. As new drugs find their way onto the street, law enforcement must have the tools at their disposal to address the latest crisis. Senator Ted Cruz’s TRANQ Act would provide us with the resources we need to combat the distribution of tranq, and save the lives of vulnerable Texans.”

Background:

Xylazine, which has been nicknamed “tranq,” is a powerful sedative used by veterinarians. Although the tranquilizer is often combined with other drugs like fentanyl and Xanax, it is not an opioid, and so it cannot be reversed with Narcan. Its use has spread across the country, including in Texas and Vermont.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports skyrocketing detections of xylazine, with growth between 2020 and 2021 of 198% in the South, 112% in the West, 61% in the Northeast, and 7% in the Midwest. According to the DEA, “the presence of xylazine in illicit drug combinations and its detection in fatal overdoses may be more widespread than reported as a number of jurisdictions across the country may not include xylazine in forensic laboratory or toxicology testing.” Tranq, also known as the “zombie drug” has gruesome side effects, causing large wounds that will not heal, and is resistant to standard opioid overdose treatments.

Texas law enforcement officials have recently detected this drug in illicit fentanyl supplies, and it has led to several deaths in the state.

Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) and Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) have introduced bipartisan companion legislation (H.R. 1734) to the TRANQ Research Act in the House of Representatives.

On April 12, the Office of National Drug Control Policy declared fentanyl-adulterated or -associated xylazine an “emerging threat” to the country, the first time in history a substance formally received this declaration.

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