Attorney General Ken Paxton signed a letter with the support of 18 other attorneys general, including from the territory of Guam, to urge President Biden and his administration to declare Fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
According to a press release from Paxton's office, Fentanyl has already caused mass destruction in the country, and to continue to treat it any less is a "dereliction of duty that will only lead to more deaths and tragedy."
The letter was led by Florida and Connecticut, making this request a bipartisan effort. Out of the 18 co-signers, three were from Democrat attorneys general, including Connecticut, New Mexico, and Nevada.
Should Biden or Congress change the classification, federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security DEA, and Department of Defense would assist in ceasing its distribution throughout the U.S., said Paxton.
In the letter, the attorneys general cited the New York Times claiming record amounts of Fentanyl were intercepted by law enforcement; however, they also noted the record amounts of overdose deaths, according to the Drug and Enforcement Agency.
Such overdose deaths have made their way into Central Texas with the death of 21-year-old and pregnant Alyssa Pastrana.
"Fentanyl is a drug that continues to terrorize...regardless of geographic, economic, or social background. It has taken hundreds of thousands of lives...has become the number one killer of adults from ages 18 to 45," said Paxton.
Fentanyl is typically produced in India or China and brought into the mainland U.S. and inexpensive to produce. In recent efforts, makers have produced "Rainbow Fentanyl", a marketing tool that makes the drug appear as candy, according to the DEA.
The letter was drafted Wednesday to Biden.
"We cannot wait for tragedy to strike when proactive steps can be taken now to preserve American lives. We urge you [to] take immediate and decisive action and declare Fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction," the letter ends.
