Expressing that fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction.

Whereas, in 2021, 107,622 people in the United States died as a result of synthetic opioids, and synthetic opioids accounted for nearly 66 percent of all opioid-involved deaths; Whereas data shows illicit fentanyl is now the number one cause of death among Americans between the ages of 18 and 45; Whereas data shows in the past 2 years, deaths among teenage Americans due to illicit fentanyl has more than tripled; Whereas data shows that in the past 2 years, fentanyl poisoning deaths have doubled as a whole in the United States, and deaths have more than doubled in 30 States; Whereas illicit fentanyl is being mass-produced in China and shipped overseas to markets in Mexico, Canada, and the United States; Whereas, in 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protections seized 588 pounds of illicit fentanyl which has increased by 1,066 percent from fiscal year 2020; Whereas, in 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration confiscated 20,400,000 fake prescription pills containing fentanyl, mainly produced by Mexico, using chemicals sourced largely from China; Whereas this amount of fentanyl seized is enough to provide a lethal dose to every single American; Whereas 1 kilogram of fentanyl has the ability to kill 500,000 people; Whereas approximately 666,666 counterfeit pills can be manufactured from 1 kilogram of pure fentanyl; Whereas carfentanil is a derivative of fentanyl and is approximately 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 20 to 30 times that of fentanyl; Whereas carfentanil was used as a chemical weapon in the Moscow theater hostage crisis to kill 150 Russians in 2002; Whereas a 2022 report issued by the United States Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking stated illicit synthetic opioids have the effect of a slow-motion weapon of mass destruction in pill form Whereas, in 2019, the Department of Homeland Security considered designating fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction; and Whereas section 2302 of title 50, United States Code, states that [t]he term weapon of mass destruction (1) toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors; (2) a disease organism; or (3) radiation or radioactivity. : Now, therefore be it That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that it is the policy of the United States to— (1) recognize that— (A) the current approach to combating our country’s drug crisis is not sufficient; (B) new and bold action is necessary to save lives; (C) a weapon of mass destruction designation of illicit fentanyl by the Federal Government would empower the Government to go after international trafficking syndicates and root out illicit manufacturers and traffickers to take action to stop fentanyl from reaching the border; and (D) a weapon of mass destruction designation of illicit fentanyl would not hinder the use of legal fentanyl or stop ongoing recovery, treatment, and harm-reduction efforts to assist those residents of the United States currently suffering from substance use disorder; and (2) urge President Biden and the Department of Homeland Security to officially designate illicit fentanyl and analogues, including carfentanil, as a weapon of mass destruction.

Summary: This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that it is U.S. policy to recognize that a weapon of mass destruction designation of illicit fentanyl by the federal government would empower the government to go after international trafficking syndicates and root out illicit manufacturers and traffickers to take action to stop fentanyl from reaching the border; and such a designation of illicit fentanyl would not hinder the use of legal fentanyl or stop ongoing recovery, treatment, and harm-reduction efforts to assist those residents of the United States currently suffering from substance use disorder. Finally, the resolution urges President Biden and the Department of Homeland Security to officially designate illicit fentanyl and analogues, including carfentanil, as a weapon of mass destruction.