A former top U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official bashed the Department of Education for remaining silent as the fentanyl epidemic claims tens of thousands of lives, including that of middle and high school students.

Derek Maltz, retired DEA special agent in charge of the special operations division, declared illicit fentanyl that is manufactured outside the United States and then moved over the border from Mexico a “chemical weapon” that is as easily available to unsuspecting teenagers as fast food is on delivery apps.

"We cannot expect to end this poisoning crisis with law enforcement alone. Addicted people need help. Mental illness is on the rise, and kids are sadly turning to these pills for help," Maltz told House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Surveillance members in a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning. "They’re using social media platforms to get what they need. It's as simple as ordering food. The cartels have invaded our homes."

“Where the hell is the Department of Education? Where are the public service announcements? Why can’t the White House team up with professional athletes and celebrities to get video reels to kids on social media because that's what they'll see and that's what they'll respond to,” Maltz continued.

Getting the word out about the dangers of fentanyl has fallen to the families of victims killed by the drug, he said. The Sinaloa and New Generation Jalisco Cartels in Mexico use fentanyl in fake versions of popular prescription sedatives, leaving users unaware that they are consuming a fake prescription pill or that it has a hidden ingredient.

In his State of the Union address last month, President Joe Biden called for a greater federal response to fentanyl smuggling at the border but was met with fury from Republicans. Biden shared a story of a 20-year-old woman who died from fentanyl, and he called for a "major surge" to stop the production, sale, and trafficking of the drug into and around the country.

The White House released a proposal in September 2021 that outlined counter-fentanyl measures Congress should enact, including permanently scheduling fentanyl, precursor ingredients, and related substances instead of renewing its temporary classification.
Scheduled drugs are controlled substances and chemicals that the DEA has determined pose potential risk for abuse. Drugs are rated on a sliding scale.

Fentanyl-related substances are temporarily listed, but permanently moving them to the highest classification would automatically enhance sentencing terms. Biden's proposal would dissolve mandatory minimum sentences for certain offenses, but not in cases where the user died or was injured as a result of consuming or injecting the drug.

Dr. Timothy Westlake, an emergency physician who testified before the House committee Tuesday, said tweaks in Chinese labs where the ingredients for fentanyl are made have led to new chemicals that are not technically “fentanyl” but known as “fentanyl-related substances.”

“Strong FRS deadly penalties will not stop users from using or traffickers from trafficking,” Westlake said. “The only thing it does is stop chemical companies from legally producing them, which has, in fact, altered the very existence of new FRS.”

Maltz, the former DEA official, called on Biden to “immediately” declare fentanyl a public health and national security emergency, especially what was being carried out by “narco-terrorists in Mexico.”

“Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hezbollah — they're not killing this amount of Americans,” he said.