What Is Fentanyl And Why Donald Trump Classified It As ‘Weapon Of Mass Destruction'
US President Trump has classified fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, highlighting its lethal potency and threat to national security.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Dec. 15, classifying “illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals” as weapons of mass destruction. According to the executive order, Trump said, “As President of the United States, my highest duty is the defence of the country and its citizens. Accordingly, I hereby designate illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).”
CNN quoted Trump as saying the move aims to “protect Americans from the scourge of deadly fentanyl flooding into our country,” adding, “No bomb does what this is doing.”
What Is Fentanyl?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, fentanyl is an opioid drug, similar to morphine or heroin, made entirely in laboratories with no natural ingredients. While it is approved as a prescription pain medication, most of the fentanyl fuelling the current overdose crisis is illegally manufactured. Fentanyl is highly potent and even a tiny amount can cause a fatal overdose. This can happen unintentionally if fentanyl is mixed into counterfeit pills or other illegal drugs. Like other opioids, fentanyl is addictive, altering brain activity so that users continue taking it even when it harms them.
Why Did Trump Classify Fentanyl As A Weapon Of Mass Destruction?
US law already criminalises the use, threat or attempt to use weapons of mass destruction, an offence that can carry the death penalty depending on circumstances. The law defines weapons of mass destruction to include “any weapon involving a biological agent, toxin, or vector.”
According to Trump’s executive order, illicit fentanyl is “closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic.” Just two milligrams, an almost undetectable trace amount, equivalent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, is lethal. “Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from fentanyl overdoses,” said Trump.
What Are The Security Risks Of Fentanyl?
On the risks, Trump said that the production and distribution of fentanyl, largely by organised criminal networks, poses a national security threat.
Trump’s executive order highlights that “the manufacture and distribution of fentanyl, primarily performed by organised criminal networks, threatens our national security and fuels lawlessness in our hemisphere and at our borders.”
The order outlines that the production and distribution of fentanyl by terrorist groups and cartels finances their operations, which include assassinations, attacks and insurgencies worldwide, while undermining national security and the safety of American citizens.
The order also highlights that the two main cartels responsible for fentanyl distribution in the US engage in armed conflicts to control territory, causing widespread violence. Additionally, there is a risk of fentanyl being weaponised in concentrated, large-scale terror attacks.
