Families Against Fentanyl Praises Growing Bipartisan Support for WMD Designation
Democratic and Republican officials take action to combat the illicit fentanyl crisis
Akron, OH — Today Families Against Fentanyl applauded the growing advocacy in recent weeks from both Democrats and Republicans calling upon the federal government to declare illicit fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD).
“The illicit fentanyl crisis in the United States is accelerating, but so is the movement to have illicit fentanyl rightly declared a Weapon of Mass Destruction,” Families Against Fentanyl founder James Rauh stated. “Despite the darkness of this crisis, it is encouraging to see elected officials on both sides of the aisle coming together to recognize the seriousness and scope of this crisis, and the potential for WMD designation to unleash unused and under-used resources to stop this poison before it ever has the chance to enter the United States.”
On September 15, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) joined Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D) in leading a bipartisan letter requesting the Biden Administration recognize illicit fentanyl as a WMD. Co-signing the letter were Republican attorneys general from Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Democratic attorneys general from Nevada and New Mexico; and an independent AG from Guam.
“For years, we have sounded the alarm about fentanyl overdoses claiming a horrifying number of American lives,” Attorney General Ashley Moody stated. “These deadly drugs are flooding in across our southwest border in record amounts — increasing the concern that this pervasive synthetic opioid could potentially be weaponized. I refuse to stand by and watch more Floridians die and I demand President Biden take immediate action and declare fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction.”
“Drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death in Connecticut, and 86 percent of those preventable tragedies involve fentanyl,” said Attorney General Tong. “As attorney general, I am fighting to hold the entire addiction industry accountable for the death and devastation the opioid epidemic has wrought on Connecticut and in communities across the country. I see this fight against illegal fentanyl as an extension of that work. I became involved in this effort against illicit fentanyl at the request of two mothers — Liz and Christine. Between them, they have lost three sons to opioids, including two to pure fentanyl overdoses. They came to my office and asked that I help lead this charge to ensure that we are bringing every possible federal resource to bear to stop the flood of illicit fentanyl into our country and communities. If this designation can help save the lives of daughters and sons like Liz and Christine’s boys, then I urge Congress and the President to strongly consider it.”
On September 21, Democratic Congressman Joe Courtney of Connecticut co-sponsored H.Res.1172, the first-ever Congressional Resolution requesting the WMD designation to address the fentanyl crisis in the United States. The resolution was introduced in June by fellow Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio.
“American families have experienced serious, irreparable harm because of the addiction crisis,” said Congressman Courtney. “Illicit fentanyl is one of the primary substances fueling the crisis, and the DEA has identified it primarily as an external threat that’s making its way into our towns from overseas. While we work to provide more resources to help the people and families in our towns that are impacted by the drug crisis, we shouldn’t leave any stone unturned when it comes to turning up the pressure on the foreign traffickers who are victimizing our communities — they’re the bad actors here, not the people and families they’re preying on. Congressman Ryan’s resolution would call for illicit fentanyl to be declared a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and would encourage the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security to re-double and ratchet-up efforts to stop the flow of this highly lethal substance into our country. I’m pleased to join him as a co-sponsor.”
On August 26, Congressman Neal Dunn (R-FL) introduced H.Res.1327, another resolution calling upon the Biden Administration to designate illicit fentanyl as a WMD.
“The growing illicit fentanyl epidemic is endangering families throughout the country. Law enforcement and first responders in my district and our Border Patrol are overwhelmed by the rapid spreading of this dangerous drug,” said Congressman Dunn. “Overdose from illicit fentanyl is now the leading cause of death among American adults 18 – 45. Fentanyl analogues, or synthetic versions of the drug, are often more lethal than medicinal fentanyl and are being trafficked across our Southern border and supplied by China. Given the outrageous destruction they have already caused and will continue to cause, fentanyl analogues must be recognized as ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction.’”
In addition, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduced H.8030, a bill that would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to classify illicit fentanyl as a WMD. The legislation currently has 9 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.
CDC data analyzed by Families Against Fentanyl in December 2021 found illicit fentanyl to be the #1 cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45 — data that have been independently verified.
Even more alarming: fentanyl’s extreme potency gives it the dark potential to be used by terrorists in a chemical attack on American citizens. Declaring illicit fentanyl a WMD would trigger an all-of-government response to this national threat, activating new resources and manpower to tackle this extraordinary danger.
Families Against Fentanyl was founded in 2019 by Akron, Ohio resident James Rauh and his wife Valorie following the untimely death of their son Tom from fentanyl poisoning.
Media Inquiries: press@familiesagainstfentanyl.org
