The resolution from the 136th General Assembly of Ohio urges the 119th Congress to introduce and pass legislation similar to the Stop Our Scourge Act of 2023, which would classify illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. The resolution highlights the alarming potency of fentanyl, noting that it is fifty times more potent than heroin and has become the leading cause of death among Americans aged eighteen to forty-five. It emphasizes the dangers posed by both illegally manufactured and diverted pharmaceutical fentanyl, which is often mixed with other drugs, increasing the risk of overdose for users who may not be aware they are consuming opioids.

The resolution also cites significant statistics regarding fentanyl's impact, including that it was involved in seventy-eight percent of Ohio's unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2023 and that federal authorities seized over twenty-one thousand pounds of illicit fentanyl in the previous fiscal year. The resolution draws attention to the escalating crisis and the need for urgent legislative action to address the public health threat posed by fentanyl, urging Congress to take decisive steps to combat this issue.