Trump Declares Fentanyl a "Weapon of Mass Destruction"

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, giving his administration broad legal authority to combat the trafficking of the synthetic narcotic, Eric Bazail-Eimil and Jack Detsch reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The drug is primarily manufactured in Mexico using precursor chemicals from China, and production is also increasing in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia.

The order cites the lethality of fentanyl, which kills tens of thousands of Americans each year, and notes that transnational criminal groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations use fentanyl sales to fund operations undermining U.S. national security.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said the amount of drugs entering the U.S. by sea has fallen 94%, though most drugs continue to cross via land ports. He called drug flows a “direct military threat” to the United States.

Trump officials have linked the decline in fentanyl consumption to stricter immigration limits and border security.

The drug is primarily manufactured in Mexico using precursor chemicals from China, and production is also increasing in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia. The ease of makeshift production labs adds further challenges for authorities.