12.06.23

House Passes Cantwell-Championed Bill to Research & Combat Illegal Synthetic Drugs

As Commerce Committee chair, Cantwell led a markup of the TRANQ Research Act to help scientists better understand & detect animal tranquilizer xylazine, which is emerging as an illicit drug; Bill comes on the heels of Cantwell’s statewide listening tour across WA to hear from folks on the front lines of the drug crisis

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the TRANQ Research Act, a bill cosponsored and advanced by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to spur more research into xylazine and other novel synthetic drugs.

The bill now heads to the White House, where it awaits President Joe Biden’s signature.

“I am deeply concerned about the potential spread of xylazine use in the State of Washington. Fatal opioid overdoses involving xylazine have nearly tripled nationally between January 2019 and June 2022. The TRANQ Research Act will help us address this growing threat by learning how best to prevent and treat xylazine overdoses,” Sen. Cantwell said.

The TRANQ Research Act aims to combat the rise in illicit use of xylazine, also known as tranq, which is a new dimension to the fentanyl crisis. It directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to take steps to enhance understanding of xylazine or 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.

In April, the Office of National Drug Control Policy officially designated xylazine as an emerging threat. When mixed together, xylazine and fentanyl place users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning, and because xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone does not reverse its effects.

Sen. Cantwell, chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, led a committee markup of the bill in May and signed on as a cosponsor. She also cosponsored similar bipartisan language to amend a bill that subsequently passed the Senate by unanimous consent in June.

The TRANQ Research Act is one element of Sen. Cantwell’s multipronged approach to tackling the synthetic drug crisis. This year, she has held a listening tour across the State of Washington with nine stops so far to hear from people on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis. In May, Sen. Cantwell hosted a fentanyl crisis roundtable discussion in Pierce County, followed by a second roundtable discussion in Snohomish County in June; in July, she convened a roundtable in the Tri-Cities, a roundtable in downtown Seattle, and a roundtable in Spokane. In August, Sen. Cantwell hosted roundtables in Vancouver, Port Angeles, Walla Walla, and Yakima.

Following Sen. Cantwell’s advocacy, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a hearing to hear from tribal and government leaders on the impact of the fentanyl crisis within tribal communities. Another Indian Affairs hearing is scheduled for today, Dec. 6, to further discuss the crisis in Indian Country. Last month, Sen. Cantwell convened a briefing in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on the role of commerce and transportation in the fentanyl crisis for a bipartisan group of committee colleagues.

In July, the Senate passed the FEND Off Fentanyl Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The bill, which Sen. Cantwell cosponsored, would enhance current law so U.S. government agencies can more effectively disrupt illicit opioid supply chains and penalize those facilitating the trafficking of fentanyl. It also declares international trafficking of fentanyl and the precursors used to make it a national emergency.