On Monday, Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert introduced the Fentanyl is a WMD Act to classify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD). This act comes in response to the rise in fentanyl deaths, which Boebert believes is caused by the ‘Biden Border Crisis.’
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths involving opioids increased from an estimated 70,029 in 2020 to 80,816 in 2021. Deaths from fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, rose to 71,238 in 2021 from 57,834 in 2020.
In a speech yesterday, Rep. Barry Moore announced his support for Boebert’s legislation, agreeing that the border crisis was exacerbating the issue.
“Last year alone, fentanyl killed more Americans than any weapon of mass destruction in our nation’s history,” noted Moore. “Fentanyl is now the number one cause of death for Americans aged 18-45 – not guns, not COVID-19, not even car accidents, but fentanyl. CDC numbers show more total drug overdose deaths last year in the U.S. than those killed by the atomic bomb blasts that ended World War II,” Moore said.
“The direct cause of so many American deaths from fentanyl is the Biden administration’s surrender at our southern border,” Moore said. “In 2021 alone, more than 11,000 pounds of fentanyl was seized at our border. So, just imagine how much fentanyl got across the border and into our communities.”
By listing fentanyl as a WMD, the legislation would direct the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office to allocate resources to address the fentanyl epidemic.
Rep. Boebert stated, “Back home in Colorado, almost everyone I talk to knows someone who has died from fentanyl. Fentanyl is America’s silent killer and is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. The saddest thing about the fentanyl crisis is that it is preventable. National security experts know that the vast majority of deadly fentanyl plaguing our communities comes across the southern border. Just last year, Border Patrol encountered enough fentanyl at the border to kill every American seven times over. There is no way around it—the Biden Border Crisis is killing Americans. It is time to call fentanyl what it is: a weapon of mass destruction that is destroying our nation.”
According to 1819 News, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) claimed that designating fentanyl as a WMD was unnecessary to address the issue. Additionally, they stated that the Homeland Security Act of 2002 “lacks a provision for classifying fentanyl as a WMD.”
The report stated, “A statutory designation of fentanyl as a WMD does not appear necessary for additional executive branch action to address fentanyl as an illicit drug or chemical weapon, Congress may consider developing legislation to improve upon perceived shortcomings in the U.S. government’s approach to addressing fentanyl.”
