In a Tuesday speech given on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) announced his support for legislation that would designate fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
In his opening remarks, Moore cited statistics which indicated that fentanyl had become the leading cause of death among young American adults.
“Last year alone, fentanyl killed more Americans than any weapon of mass destruction in our nation’s history,” noted Moore. “Fentanyl is now the number one cause of death for Americans aged 18-45 – not guns, not COVID-19, not even car accidents, but fentanyl. CDC numbers show more total drug overdose deaths last year in the U.S. than those killed by the atomic bomb blasts that ended World War II.”
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Moore placed blame for the nation’s fentanyl crisis at the feet of the Biden administration.
“The direct cause of so many American deaths from fentanyl is the Biden administration’s surrender at our southern border,” he asserted. “In 2021 alone, more than 11,000 pounds of fentanyl was seized at our border. So, just imagine how much fentanyl got across the border and into our communities!”
The South Alabama congressman announced that he had cosponsored U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-Co.) bill that Moore advised would enable the federal government to effectively address the fentanyl crisis.
“Fentanyl is a drug so deadly poisonous that the Russian military has reportedly weaponized it. The countless families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl deserve better than what the Biden administration has given them,” continued Moore. “That’s why I’ve cosponsored Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s Fentanyl is a WMD Act, a designation that follows a 2019 proposal from the Trump administration that would enable our government to treat the fentanyl crisis with the urgency it deserves.”
He concluded, “We can’t turn the other way as Mexican drug cartels kill thousands of young Americans. We must take the fentanyl threat seriously, and we must secure our border.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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