H.R. 1734 would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to research processes and techniques to identify and differentiate illicit drugs containing xylazine and other novel synthetic opioids and reduce the time necessary to analyze those drugs. In addition, the bill would require NIST to coordinate opportunities for graduate and post-graduate research on detecting and identifying those drugs. Finally, H.R. 1734 would require the agency to report to the Congress on the bill’s implementation not later than one year after enactment.
To carry out that research, the agency would need to enhance its capabilities for analyzing such drugs with specialized equipment and more employees to study those issues. NIST also would need to establish public, private, and academic partnerships to generate strategies and best practices for the safe handling, transport, and analysis of such drugs.
