With Bipartisan Support in Congress, There is Growing Momentum for the Designation Which Would Empower the US to Stop Illicit Fentanyl Before It Reaches the US
Today Families Against Fentanyl founder Jim Rauh released the following statement in response to the Florida Attorney General’s call to declare illicit fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction:
“Families Against Fentanyl welcomes Attorney General Moody’s urgent call to have illicit fentanyl declared a Weapon of Mass Destruction, and applaud her for taking this powerful stand,” Families Against Fentanyl founder James Rauh stated. “WMD designation currently has bipartisan support in Congress. With A.G. Moody’s announcement today, the movement continues to grow. Last year more than 107,000 Americans suffered drug-related deaths, driven by illicit fentanyl — a record high. It’s clear that the status quo isn’t working. WMD designation would allow the federal government to activate unused and under-used resources to stop illicit fentanyl before it ever reaches our border. Families Against Fentanyl encourages the Biden Administration to take this decisive and necessary action, giving illicit fentanyl the WMD designation it deserves.”
In June, Families Against Fentanyl welcomed news that Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) introduced a Congressional Resolution urging the Biden Administration to designate illicit fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD). H.Res.1172 is the first-ever Congressional Resolution requesting the WMD designation to address the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
At that time, Congressman Ryan and former Congresswoman Mary Bono made the following statements:
“The fentanyl crisis is killing our kids and devastating our communities. There is not a corner of Ohio that has not been affected by this epidemic in some way,” said Congressman Ryan. “We cannot look away as this crisis worsens. It’s time we take a whole-of-government approach to fight it. That means using every resource we have at our disposal to get this off the streets and out of our neighborhoods.”
“I am glad to see the introduction of this Resolution calling for robust measures to curtail the flow of illicit fentanyl into our communities,” said former Congresswoman Mary Bono (R-CA). “I am grateful to James Rauh and Families Against Fentanyl for working to achieve this milestone in the fight to save lives.”
Last year, Ms. Bono joined Families Against Fentanyl in a bipartisan letter featuring national security and policy experts requesting President Biden designate illicit fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction. A Families Against Fentanyl petition calling for WMD designation has over 34,000 signatures.
In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data projecting more than 107,000 people died of drug-related causes in the previous calendar year, driven by illicit fentanyl. A Families Against Fentanyl analysis of CDC data in December 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 Jim Rauh and his wife Valorie following the untimely death of their son Tom from illicit fentanyl poisoning.
Additional information is available on the Families Against Fentanyl website at familiesagainstfentanyl.org.
