I wouldn't call etizolam a "research chemical." It'sa non-FDA approved pharmaceutical. It's not illegal in the usa but importing non-approved drugs is prohibited, meaning customs will just seize it but you probably won't get in trouble. That said, it is pretty unlikely that the stuff will get seized but it is possible. I have had 2 orders from india make it through ok & one didn't even have a declaration sticker, the other said "pharmaceutical" & while they both took a week to clear customs, they came through intact.
The effects of etizolam are (for me at least) more of a hypnotic than xanax, but maybe thats just because I only take them at bedtime. I have taken .5mg for anxiety & it did help, but since I have clonazepam I prefer that because it dosen't make me slow/sleepy. Using benzo's recreationally often gets people into trouble & it's really not that fun, especially when you black out & hear about the dumb things you did.
I take just 1mg sublingual most nights (not every night) & it puts me out pretty quickly. I haven't had to increase the dose & I've been taking it for around 2 months. Probably because dosing only once a day allows my brain to return to near baseline in between doses. I used to get pretty much any hypnotic I asked for from my doc & I've tried most of the benzos on the market in the usa. Etizolam is definitely a good one. And very affordable too if you can find the right source.
If you do get some please be careful with it- if you are expecting something fun you will most likely be dissapointed, but they are great to have around for their intended purpose.