Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) alluded to his Republican colleague’s fentanyl classification bill proposal in a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on Tuesday with Gary Rasicot, acting assistant secretary for the US Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office.
Hawley, who sits on four Senate committees, inquired whether US President Joe Biden’s government intends to declare fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction in light of the highly fatal and synthetic drug’s growing prevalence in the country.
“Any declaration of fentanyl as a WMD, I think you have to carefully consider that because there are legitimate medical uses for fentanyl,” Raiscot told the Republican lawmaker from Missouri, drawing a distinction between illicit fentanyl and fentanyl cleared for prescriptions.
Fentanyl, also known as ‘China Girl’ or ‘China White,’ is a synthetic opioid estimated to be 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the DEA. The drug is traditionally used for pain management in cancer patients, but has grown popular among those peddling recreational drugs ranging from marijuana to heroin.
“In regards to illicit fentanyl,” Raiscot noted, “I think you have to proceed with caution there as well because I think what you want to avoid is creating overlapping jurisdictions or even diverting limited WMD resources into a counternarcotics arena.”
Fentanyl can enter one’s body through inhalation, oral exposure or ingestion, or skin contact.
China, once regarded as the primary source of fentanyl in the US, banned the production of fentanyl and substances that mimic the synthetic opioid back in 2019. Nevertheless, US data shows the country remains ravaged by the illicit drug, as over 150 Americans are dying every day from opioids like fentanyl.
Continuing to probe the official from the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, Hawley raised the possibility of fentanyl being misused by adversaries the US classifies as terrorists.
“Back to this possibility of terrorists of foreign nations weaponizing fentanyl, can you give me your assessment of, is that likely? What are the concerns around that?” Hawley asked.
“I would be happy to give you that assessment,” Raiscot replied, “but I think it would be more appropriately done in a different forum, and I’d like to follow up with you on that.”
Newly released data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed overdose deaths in the US have risen 30% within the past year, with “illicitly produced fentanyl” accounting for most of the increase in fatalities.
Florida has emerged as a hotspot for mass-overdose events, prompting a recent plea from the Sunshine State’s attorney general.
“Thinking about curbing the problem in different, new ways may disrupt what the Chinese companies and drug cartels involved are doing or at least make it more expensive or difficult,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a memo to President Joe Biden.
The rise in fentanyl-related overdoses and deaths have led many in the DEA to amend their “One Pill Can Kill” campaign slogan.
“Recreational use drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine that are being laced with fentanyl,” DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Mike Dubet told local outlet News4Jax. “Therefore, not only can one pill kill you, but one use can also kill you.”
Dubet, who is assigned to the DEA office in Jacksonville, Florida, said Americans are “playing Russian roulette whenever recreational drug use is a part of your life.”