,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bdhd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #be1     
#bjbc,mr4 ,booker 7for himself1 ,mr4    
,welch1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 
,mr4 ,ossoff1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mr4    
,padilla1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 and ,mr4    
,markey7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill
  ,to ensure that ,states do not        
prohibit an individual from obtaining1  
possessing1 distributing1 or using      
life-saving drug testing technologies1  
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,expanding ,nationwide ,access to ,test 
,strips ,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress  
finds the following3 7#a7 ,according to 
the ,centers for ,disease ,control and  
,prevention1 over #aji1jjj people in the
 ,united ,states died from drug         
overdoses in #bjbb1 with #fi percent of 
those deaths involving synthetic opioids
 like fentanyl4  7#b7 ,according to the 

,centers for ,disease ,control and      
,prevention1 by #bjba1 the rate of drug 
overdose deaths involving xylazine was  
#ce times higher than the #bjah rate4   
7#c7 ,one significant contributing      
factor to the increase in drug overdoses
 is individuals are often unaware their 
drugs are laced with synthetic opioids  
and other dangerous substances4  7#d7   
,in #bjba1 #ib percent of drug overdose 
deaths in the ,united ,states were      
unintentional4  7#e7 ,drug test strips  
play a critical role in saving lives by 
effectively detecting the presence of   
fentanyl1 xylazine1 and other           
adulterants in various drugs and forms  
including pills1 powder1 and            
injectables4  7#f7 ,studies show that   
individuals with access to testing      
strips regularly use them before drug   
consumption1 leading to a higher        
likelihood of modifying their drug use  
behavior or abstaining from drug use1   
thereby reducing the risk of drug       
overdoses4  7#g7 ,in #bjba1 the ,centers

 for ,disease ,control and ,prevention  
and the ,substance ,abuse and ,mental   
,health ,services ,administration       
announced the authorization of ,federal 
funding to acquire fentanyl strips to   
address this crisis4  7#h7 ,as of the   
date of enactment of this ,act1         
approximately #cf ,states and the       
,district of ,columbia have legalized   
the use of fentanyl test strips4        
,however1 in fewer than a dozen ,states1
 fentanyl test strips are still         
categorized as drug paraphernalia1      
limiting access to these life-saving    
tools for many individuals4  7#i7 ,while
 many ,states have decriminalized       
fentanyl strips1 the criminalization of 
xylazine strips remains prevalent in    
several ,states1 even as xylazine poses 
an emerging threat4  7#aj7 ,ensuring    
access to these test strips is justified
 under congressional regulation of      
interstate commerce1 as these strips are
 consumer products that involve economic
 transactions1 including the shipment of

 goods1 provision of services1 and      
purchases across ,state lines4  #c4     
,access to drug testing technologies    
7a7 ,definition ,in this section1 the   
term life-saving drug testing           
technologies means devices1 including   
test strips1 that can detect the        
presence of fentanyl1 xylazine1 or other
 adulterants in drug samples prior to   
use4  7b7 ,access to drug testing       
technologies ,a ,state-- 7#a7 shall not 
prohibit an individual from obtaining1  
possessing1 distributing1 or using      
life-saving drug testing technologies2  
and  7#b7 shall not prosecute an        
individual solely for obtaining1        
possessing1 distributing1 or using      
life-saving drug testing technologies4