MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US: Illicit fentanyl declared a weapon of mass destruction

“No bomb can do what fentanyl does,” Trump asserted

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday formally designating illicit fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD). The move shifts the federal government's approach to the opioid crisis from a strictly public health and law enforcement issue to a national security priority.

 The designation allows the White House to “unleash every tool” against international cartels and foreign networks, specifically directing the Pentagon and the Justice Department to escalate operations against the production and distribution of the synthetic opioid and its precursor chemicals.

During the signing ceremony at the White House, Trump emphasized the unprecedented scale of the crisis, comparing the lethality of fentanyl to conventional warfare.

“No bomb can do what fentanyl does: between 200,000 and 300,000 people die each year because of it,” he stated. “We are formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, which is what it is.”

The executive order argues that fentanyl's extreme potency —with a lethal dose as small as two milligrams (roughly equivalent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt)— makes it closer to a chemical weapon than a traditional narcotic.

The administration warned that organized adversaries could weaponize the substance for “concentrated, large-scale terror attacks.”

The reclassification triggers several high-level shifts. The Department of War is now authorized to assist the Justice Department with military assets to enforce criminal codes related to fentanyl. In addition, the Justice Department is expected to pursue maximum sentencing for fentanyl-related crimes, treating them under statutes originally designed for chemical warfare and terrorism.

Moreover, the Department of Homeland Security will use WMD-related threat intelligence to track smuggling networks, while the Treasury Department will target financial institutions supporting the trade.

Trump's order follows more than 20 recent US strikes against drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

The order specifically targets illicit fentanyl as a substance manufactured or distributed in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. The White House clarified that the WMD designation does not apply to legal, medical fentanyl used in hospitals and clinical settings.

Despite a reported 37% decline in synthetic opioid deaths between 2023 and 2024, fentanyl remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. According to the DEA, nearly 70% of the 107,000 overdose deaths in 2023 were attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

Pursuant to the FBI's definition, a weapon of mass destruction is a “destructive device, such as an explosive or incendiary bomb, rocket or grenade; a weapon that is designed to cause death or serious injury through toxic or poisonous chemical; a weapon that contains a biological agent or toxin;” or “a weapon that is designed to release dangerous levels of radiation or radioactivity.”