(NewsNation) — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is calling on President Joe Biden to classify illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, citing the historic rise in drug overdose deaths in a letter to the president on Monday.
But there’s a chance you haven’t heard about this story. That’s because 92% percent of news outlets that reported on this story lean right or fall in the center, according to NewsNation’s partner Ground News, which monitors coverage based on media bias. Only one left-leaning media outlet has reported on the Florida AG’s plea, according to Ground News’ Blindspot report.
In her letter, Moody urged Biden to pursue either one of two options: make the declaration using presidential executive authority or push Congress to pass the Fentanyl is a WMD Act introduced by House Republicans last month.
The Florida AG argued that fentanyl could be weaponized and cause a mass casualty event.
“The reality is that the deadliness of fentanyl combined with its shear (sic) availability in Mexico to criminal cartels and non-state actors makes it an increasingly likely weapon for use,” wrote Moody.
The Department of Homeland Security currently defines a weapon of mass destruction as a “nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological, or other device that is intended to harm a large number of people.”
Moody’s letter is just the latest effort to declare illegal fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction. Last month, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., introduced a bill attempting to do the same.
Both Boebert and Moody say that classifying the drug as a WMD would allow for better coordination between federal agencies.
“Designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction would require the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration to coordinate with other agencies, or parts of agencies, including the Department of Defense about fentanyl,” Moody wrote.
On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., raised the issue with Gary Rasicot, acting assistant secretary for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, who was hesitant about the idea.
“In regards to illicit fentanyl, 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,” Rasicot said.
Hawley pressed Rasicot about the possibility of terrorists misusing fentanyl. The acting assistant secretary said he would follow up in a different forum, The Hill reported.
Fentanyl, a highly lethal synthetic opioid, has been one of the primary drivers of the national drug overdose crisis in recent years.
Last year, more than 107,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, about 75% involved opioids, primarily fentanyl.
As recently as 2015, the CDC recorded fewer than 50,000 overdose deaths.
The record tally in 2021 means more Americans died from drug overdoses than died from firearms and motor vehicle crashes combined.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said since March of last year, they’ve seized 1,630 pounds of the drug — equivalent to over 369 million lethal doses and enough to kill the entire U.S. population.
Last month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation to determine whether retail giant Walmart improperly filled drug prescriptions and failed to report suspicious orders when selling opioids.
Walmart has denied any wrongdoing and said it looks forward to answering the AG’s questions.