(MENAFN) Tom Homan, the US border czar, stated on Wednesday that categorizing illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) should “at least be a discussion.”

Speaking at the Axios Future of Defense Summit, Homan emphasized the lethality of fentanyl, highlighting that the annual US death toll is approximately 73,000, with the number rising during the Biden administration.

Homan revealed that he attended a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) briefing six months ago focused on the potential classification of fentanyl as a WMD.

He explained, “When I left that briefing, it was my understanding that they would push that recommendation up to the Secretary, but I've been out of it ever since.”

Criticizing the pharmaceutical companies, Homan remarked, “They're really trying to make money on their customers, and we're not going to do that by killing them, right?” This statement underscores his belief that drug manufacturers prioritize profits over public health.

According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), over 380 million lethal doses of fentanyl were confiscated in 2024.

By late September 2025, seizures had already surpassed 262 million doses, illustrating the ongoing scale of the fentanyl crisis.

Preliminary statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that drug overdose fatalities in 2024 dropped to their lowest point since 2019, marking a 26.9% decline from an estimated 110,037 deaths in 2023.

The DHS has been contemplating labeling fentanyl as a WMD since 2019, though legislative attempts to officially reclassify the drug have not succeeded.

Earlier this year, Rep. Lauren Boebert introduced the Fentanyl is a Weapon of Mass Destruction Act, which would instruct DHS’ Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office to designate fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.

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