Attorneys general urge Biden to classify fentanyl as weapon of mass destruction

Attorneys general urges Pres. Biden to put fentanyl on weapons list

Fentanyl has claimed the lives of thousands upon thousands of Americans. So much so, that 18 state attorneys general want the drug to be classified as a weapon of mass destruction. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal has the latest.

BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Fentanyl has claimed the lives of thousands upon thousands of Americans. So much so, 18 state attorneys general want the drug to be classified as a weapon of mass destruction.

"What we’re asking the federal government to do is put the focus, put the attention and the resources where it matters," Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares explained.

According to the letter, classifying 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 the drug.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey also signed on.

When asked about the letter Thursday, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin didn’t comment on the WMD designation specifically, but he did remark to FOX News, "it is basically a weapon that kills. I will tell you that."

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Julie Hines, who lost her son Tyler to an accidental fentanyl overdose a little more than two years ago, said she supports the plan, calling it "100 percent needed." Hines added that she is now making it her mission to speak out.

"[Tyler] bought a Percocet. They searched everywhere, everything, there was only one pill," Hines said. "When the toxicology report came back, it was 100 percent fentanyl. There wasn’t even Percocet in it."

FOX 5 reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back.

According to the CDC, fentanyl is the number one killer of adults ages 18 to 45.