This bill expands grant programs for opioid use disorders to include funding for fentanyl and xylazine test strips.
Jasmine Crockett
Representative
TX-30
The "Test Strip Access Act of 2025" aims to combat the opioid crisis by expanding resources for states and tribal communities. This bill amends existing legislation to allow grant funding to be used for the purchase of fentanyl and xylazine test strips. By increasing access to these test strips, the Act seeks to help prevent accidental overdoses and reduce harm associated with drug use.
Bill Allows Federal Opioid Grants to Fund Fentanyl and Xylazine Test Strips for States and Tribes
This bill, titled the "Test Strip Access Act of 2025," makes a targeted change to how existing federal grant money can be used. Specifically, it amends the 21st Century Cures Act (Section 1003(b)(4)(A)) to explicitly permit State and Tribal opioid response programs to purchase fentanyl or xylazine test strips using these grant funds.
Expanding the Harm Reduction Toolkit
The core idea here is pretty straightforward: add potentially life-saving tools to the list of approved uses for existing federal dollars. Fentanyl and, increasingly, xylazine (an animal tranquilizer not reversible by naloxone) are major drivers of overdose deaths, often mixed into other illicit drugs without the user's knowledge. Test strips are small, simple tools that allow individuals to check substances for the presence of these dangerous adulterants before consumption. By adding them to the list of eligible items under these established grant programs, the bill aims to make these harm reduction tools more widely available through state and tribal public health initiatives.
Leveraging Existing Channels
It's important to note this isn't creating a brand-new grant program. Instead, it modifies an existing one focused on State and Tribal responses to opioid use disorders. This means the infrastructure for distributing funds is already in place. The change simply broadens the scope of allowable activities under Section 1003(b)(4)(A) of the 21st Century Cures Act, potentially allowing states and tribes that receive these grants to quickly incorporate test strip distribution into their existing opioid response strategies, should they choose to prioritize it.
Real-World Implications
For communities grappling with the opioid crisis, this could translate to more accessible test strips distributed through public health departments, outreach programs, or other state and tribal initiatives. The goal is to empower individuals with information about the substances they might encounter, potentially preventing accidental overdoses linked to unexpectedly potent or contaminated drugs. It reflects a practical step to equip existing programs with another tool to address the dangers posed by fentanyl and xylazine in the illicit drug supply.