18 AGs Call on Biden to Classify Illicit Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong are leading a multistate, bipartisan effort urging President Joe Biden to classify illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD).

“I first called for President Biden to take swift action in July and call fentanyl what it is – a weapon of mass destruction,” Moody said. “Now, I am leading a bipartisan coalition of 18 attorneys general demanding the president take action now, declare fentanyl a WMD and join us in our fight to prevent the death and destruction caused by this highly-lethal substance from getting even worse.”

In July, Moody called on the president to designate fentanyl as a WMD but she hasn’t heard back. Now 17 attorneys general, both Republicans and Democrats, are joining her.

“Treating this solely as a narcotics control problem has failed to curb the proliferation of increasing quantities of chemicals that can cause a mass casualty event. Your own DEA Administrator has called fentanyl ‘the deadliest threat [the DEA] ha[s] ever seen.’ We should treat it as such—thus bold action must be taken,” the AGs wrote.

“We must not sit idly by until a terrorist chooses to inflict harm using this substance on a large group of Americans—our countrymen are already dying from this poison. We cannot wait for tragedy to strike when proactive steps can be taken now to preserve American lives. We urge you, take immediate and decisive action and declare fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.”

Due to the low cost of producing fentanyl and its inherent lethality and vast availability, they argue it would be “an ideal choice for bad actors to use as a chemical weapon.”

“We are aware of scenarios that different federal and state agencies have considered utilizing and causing mass casualty events,” they write. “Just

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