Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) | Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) | Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) recently introduced legislation that, if passed, would make it so that the federal government considers fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.
The act, known as the Fentanyl is a WMD Act, would expand the jurisdiction of handling the synthetic opioid to agencies outside of the Department of Homeland Security, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
"This would enable the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Department of Defense to better coordinate their efforts and immediately publish the necessary administrative directive to eliminate the threat posed by this deadly substance," Boebert, who is currently running for reelection in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, told Fox News.
The DEA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fentanyl could be 100 times more potent than morphine, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. In a medical context, it's commonly used in patch form as a pain killer for cancer patients. The Fentanyl is a WMD Act would not interfere with prescribed usage.
"A weapon of mass destruction is a nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological, or other device that is intended to harm a large number of people," the DHS said on its site.
Overdosing on fentanyl was the leading cause of death in 2021 for Americans between 18-45, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
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