In a bold move to counteract the nation’s opioid crisis, illicit fentanyl would be designated as a weapon of mass destruction under a Republican bill led by U.S. Reps. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX).
“Current policies to counter the proliferation of illicit fentanyl have proven woefully inadequate to protect the nation,” Rep. Wenstrup said. “As a physician, a lawmaker, and a soldier, I believe it is time we declare illicit fentanyl what it is: a weapon of mass destruction that is destroying the lives of our young people and killing Americans across the country in record numbers.”
Rep. Wenstrup on Oct. 7 sponsored the Stop Our Scourge Act of 2022, H.R. 9162, which has 20 original cosponsors, including Rep. Gonzales and U.S. Reps. Mike Turner (R-OH), Michael Burgess (R-TX), John Joyce (R-PA), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Buddy Carter (R-GA), Darin LaHood (R-IL), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).
Rep. Wenstrup said he has traveled to the border and spoken with federal agents about the difficulty they face combating cartels that traffic human beings and drugs through the U.S. border.
“Along parts of the southern border, federal agents have reported a 4,000 percent increase in fentanyl seizures over the last three years,” he said. “The illicit fentanyl they’re not able to catch makes its way into every community across America, killing our family and friends.”
If enacted, H.R. 9162 would direct the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security to designate illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction and require the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to conduct an assessment of how federal efforts to address trafficking can be improved, the capacity of the Mexican military to conduct counterdrug missions for illicit fentanyl, and the capacity and willingness of the People’s Republic of China to curtail the flow of illicit fentanyl and hold traffickers accountable, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Wenstrup’s office.
“We need to stop illicit fentanyl at the border and work backwards from there, by working with Mexico to shut down trafficking and transport and stopping China’s role in the manufacture and production of chemical precursors used to make this deadly, illicit drug,” said the congressman.
Rep. Gonzales, the lead original cosponsor of S. 9162, said he is proud to introduce the bill alongside Rep. Wenstrup to ensure that the United States has all the facts it needs to tackle this drug crisis.
“While the Biden administration continues to fail to resolve this crisis, I remain committed to working with my colleagues to aggressively tackle this serious threat that affects all Americans,” said Rep. Gonzales.