Trump designates fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order on Monday formally designating illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction, elevating the federal government’s legal and national security response to the drug that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.

In the order, Trump describes illicit fentanyl as “closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic,” noting that as little as two milligrams, which is comparable to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, can be fatal. The order cites the scale of overdose deaths nationwide and frames fentanyl trafficking not only as a public health crisis, but as a direct threat to national security.

The president’s order places primary blame on organized criminal networks and foreign terrorist organizations that manufacture and distribute fentanyl, arguing that proceeds from the drug trade fund assassinations, terrorist acts, and insurgencies around the world. Two major cartels, identified in the order as the dominant suppliers of fentanyl to the United States, are described as engaging in violent armed conflict to protect territory and operations, contributing to instability well beyond the drug’s immediate effects.

Read about the Portland fentanyl crisis at this Substack newsletter: Truth on the Streets by Kevin Dahlgren.

The order also raises concerns about the potential for fentanyl to be weaponized in concentrated, large-scale terror attacks, describing that risk as a “serious threat” to the United States. Trump states that his highest constitutional duty is the defense of the country and its citizens, and that the WMD designation is necessary to confront the threat at its source.

Under the directive, the Attorney General is instructed to immediately pursue investigations and prosecutions related to fentanyl trafficking, including enhanced criminal charges and sentencing measures. The Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury are ordered to take action against assets and financial institutions connected to the manufacture, distribution, or sale of illicit fentanyl and its precursor chemicals, consistent with existing law.

The order also directs coordination between the Department of Justice and the Department of War to determine whether military resources should be provided to assist domestic enforcement under federal law. In addition, the Secretary of War is instructed to update military directives governing responses to chemical incidents within the homeland to explicitly include the threat posed by illicit fentanyl.

The Department of Homeland Security is tasked with identifying fentanyl smuggling networks using intelligence tools typically associated with weapons of mass destruction and nonproliferation efforts, with the goal of supporting a full spectrum of counter-fentanyl operations.

The executive order defines illicit fentanyl as fentanyl manufactured, distributed, or possessed in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, and identifies core precursor chemicals as those used to produce fentanyl and its analogues, including piperidone-based substances.

By elevating fentanyl to the level of a weapon of mass destruction, the administration is signaling an aggressive shift toward counterterrorism-style tools and international pressure in the fight against the drug that continues to devastate communities across the United States.