Chemical security

Homeland Security is reportedly considering labeling fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction

The Department of Homeland Security is considering classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, or WMD, according to an internal memo attained by military news outlet Task & Purpose.

The memo said the painkiller would be labeled a WMD “when certain criteria are met,” and that federal officials have “long regarded fentanyl as a chemical weapons threat.”

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that can be up to 100 times more potent than morphine. It is prescribed to treat severe pain but is also sold illegally in the U.S. Fentanyl-related deaths in the country spiked more than 1,000% from 2011 to 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2017, more than 28,000 U.S. citizens fatally overdosed on the drug.

The drug’s high toxicity and increasing availability are “attractive” to potential adversaries “seeking nonconventional materials for a chemical attack,” James McDonnell, an assistant secretary at DHS, wrote in the memo, according to Task & Purpose.