Families Against Fentanyl Thanks Biden for Recognizing Fentanyl as a 'Dead-Set Killer of People
Thousands of Families, High-Ranking Officials Urge WMD Designation for the “terrifyingly lethal” Chemical in wake of Record Overdose Deaths in 2020
Select Signatories Available for Interview
Akron, Ohio -- Today, Families Against Fentanyl is praising President Biden’s comments committing to address the fentanyl crisis and is urging the President to take a more aggressive approach to fentanyl by designating it as a weapon of mass destruction.
Last night at a town hall event in Ohio, President Biden took aim at the illicit fentanyl poisonings devastating families across the U.S., referring to fentanyl-laced drugs coming out of China and Mexico as a “dead-set killer of people.” The President’s comments came in response to a question from a mother who lost her son to fentanyl poisoning. They also come on the heels of new data reporting record fentanyl poisoning deaths and record fentanyl seizures. The Center for Disease Control recently announced that a record 93,000 Americans died by overdose in 2020, with the rising death toll driven by illicit fentanyl.
“President Biden is exactly right that illegal fentanyl is a ‘dead-set killer’. Fentanyl is killing our kids, it's killing adults, and it's a threat to all of us. Not only is illicit fentanyl being used to poison thousands of unsuspecting Americans, it is also a terrifyingly lethal chemical weapon capable of mass destruction in the wrong hands,” said James Rauh, founder of Families Against Fentanyl, who lost his son to fentanyl poisoning.
“Across America you would be hard-pressed to find a family that has not been touched by this crisis. We need a bold, all-of-government approach to tackle this crisis and designating illicit fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction is the right step to slow the manufacture and flow of this deadly chemical into our country before we see even more deaths. National security experts and everyday Americans agree: declaring illicit fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction is the right call,” added Rauh.
Last week, Families Against Fentanyl unveiled an open letter to the Biden Administration urging illicit fentanyl to be formally declared a Weapon of Mass Destruction, featuring a bipartisan who’s-who of high-ranking officials in addition to Families Against Fentanyl founder James Rauh. In the letter, the officials note that the "terrifyingly lethal" chemical that is being laced into street drugs resulting in thousands of deaths is also "a devastating chemical weapon. Additionally, FAF has a petition calling for a WMD designation that has amassed nearly 15,000 signatures to date.
FULL TEXT OF LETTER AND ALL CURRENT SIGNATORIES CAN BE FOUND AT LINK BELOW.
Current list of signatories:
Mr. Rauh and select letter co-signers are available to discuss:
The growing movement led by Families Against Fentanyl to have illicit fentanyl declared a Weapon of Mass Destruction by the federal government
The overdose crisis in the United States, fueled by illicit fentanyl
Additional information is available on the Families Against Fentanyl website at familiesagainstfentanyl.org.
For interviews or questions, please reply to this email.
