Trump brands fentanyl a ‘weapon of mass destruction’ in drug war escalation | Donald Trump

Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday designating fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction” — classifying the synthetic opioid not only as a deadly drug, but also as a potential chemical weapon.

The order also directs the Pentagon and the Department of Justice to take additional measures to combat the production and distribution of the drug. The designation comes as the administration uses increasingly militaristic tactics to combat drug trafficking.

The White House said the move “frees up every tool to combat the cartels and foreign networks responsible for flooding communities with this deadly substance,” warning that fentanyl could be used as a weapon for “concentrated, large-scale terrorist attacks by organized adversaries.”

“Illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic,” Trump’s order states.

It is unclear what immediate impacts this order would have on national policy. It is already a crime to threaten or attempt to use weapons of mass destruction. Historically, a weapon of mass destruction has been defined as “a radiological, chemical, biological, or other device intended to harm a large number of people,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The US president’s assertion that fentanyl could be used as a weapon for “large-scale, concentrated terrorist attacks carried out by organized adversaries” has sparked skepticism from drug policy experts. “Neither terrorist organizations nor the military are using fentanyl as a weapon,” Jonathan Caulkins, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who studies drugs, crime, terrorism and violence, told Stat News. “It’s not clear to me that this is a threat.”

Trump’s order comes after the administration also decided this year to designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, to justify military action against them. Since early September, the Trump administration has carried out more than 20 strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing more than 80 people.

Military experts have said drug cartels operating ships in the Caribbean typically transport cocaine rather than fentanyl, which they ship primarily to Europe rather than the United States. There has also been little or no publicly released evidence that the stuck boats were carrying drugs.

Yet Trump has repeatedly threatened to carry out ground strikes in Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico to combat drug trafficking. In a broad strategy document released last week, Trump said his administration’s foreign policy would be focused on reasserting U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

Mexico is the largest source of illicit fentanyl destined for the United States. Most of the chemicals used to make the drug come from China. Opioid is a leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States, although such deaths have declined in recent years.

Yet Trump has repeatedly cited fentanyl as a major threat — seeking to address the problem through trade policies and tougher criminal penalties for traffickers. The administration has also falsely blamed fentanyl trafficking on undocumented people and used fentanyl to justify tougher immigration enforcement.

At the same time, public health experts have warned that the administration has failed to address the United States’ ongoing drug addiction crisis. Experts have criticized the Trump administration for cutting staff and resources at key federal agencies that oversee drug treatment and policies. The administration also decided to cut off funding for some harm reduction organizations.

Law enforcement and public health experts have also warned that cuts to Medicaid, the program that provides health care to low-income Americans, could devastate efforts to treat substance use disorders.