TRANQ Research Act of 2023

Testing, Rapid Analysis, and Narcotic Quality Research Act of 2023 or the TRANQ Research Act of 2023

This bill requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to support research and other activities related to identifying xylazine (a compound used in veterinary medicine as a nonopioid tranquilizer), novel synthetic opioids, and other new psychoactive substances.

In particular, NIST must support

• basic measurement science and research, including graduate and postgraduate research;
• near-real time spectrometry capabilities (i.e., a technique for rapidly identifying the chemical composition of a substance);
• strategies and voluntary best practices for handling, transporting, and analyzing such substances; and
• collaboration with other government agencies, institutions of higher education, and the private sector to enhance relevant narcotic and opioid detection and analysis capabilities.

The Government Accountability Office must evaluate the capability of the federal government to respond to the threats posed by new psychoactive substances like xylazine, including with respect to available technology and laboratories.