Fentanyl is a WMD Act

This bill tells the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office to treat illegal fentanyl the same way it treats a weapon of mass destruction. In short, it puts fentanyl in the WMD category for how DHS plans, tracks, and responds to threats under existing homeland security law .

What this likely means for people and communities is that federal efforts to detect and respond to fentanyl threats would be handled using the same high-priority systems used for other major national security dangers. It does not create new crimes or penalties by itself; it directs how DHS classifies and manages the risk from illicit fentanyl .

• Who is affected: DHS’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office; coordination may touch other federal, state, and local partners.
• What changes: Illicit fentanyl is officially treated as a WMD for DHS planning and response purposes.
• When: This would take effect if and when the bill becomes law .