President Donald Trump of the United States has signed an executive order, declaring and classifying fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, WMD, saying, there is no bomb that kills people more than the illicit-drug, in a nationwide address on Monday, President Trump said fentanyl kills between 200 and 300 thousands of people annually in the United States, hence the classification of the illicit-drug as a weapon of mass destruction, the statement maybe inline with research findings that have recommended fentanyl as the number one cause of high rates of overdose deaths, specifically, according to an Independent Research Institute in the US, the Brookings Institution, in a research conducted in 2024, indicated that 527,344 Americans have died from opioid overdoses since 2012, the year fentanyl started entering the US illicit drug market and more than 100,000 people died from drug overdose annually since 2021 with fentanyl being the number one main cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45 since 2021, and the White House in a statement a few minutes ago, said, the President Trump Executive Order on Fentanyl directs the US Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury to pursue appropriate actions against relevant assets and financial institutions for those involved in or supporting the manufacture, distribution, and sale of illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals, adding that; “President Trump imposed tariffs to deal with Mexico, Canada and China’s failure to address the flow of poisonous fentanyl and other drugs into our country, authorized military strikes to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and disrupt the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people”.

According to the White House, President Trump action is a critical step that unleashes every tool to combat the cartels and foreign networks responsible for flooding communities with this deadly substance—the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45.

Adding; “Today, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order designating illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemical as weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

The Order directs the Attorney General to immediately pursue criminal charges, sentencing enhancements, and sentencing variances in fentanyl trafficking cases.

The Order directs the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury to pursue appropriate actions against relevant assets and financial institutions for those involved in or supporting the manufacture, distribution, and sale of illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals.

The Order directs the Secretary of War and Attorney General to determine whether the Department of War should provide enhanced national security resources to the Department of Justice as necessary during an emergency situation involving a weapon of mass destruction.

The Order directs the Secretary of War, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, to update their chemical incident response-related directives to include the fentanyl threat.

The Order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to identify fentanyl smuggling networks using WMD and nonproliferation related threat intelligence”.

The White House also stated that; “President Trump is unleashing every available tool against the cartels and foreign networks that have turned fentanyl into the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.

Illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Just two milligrams of fentanyl—equivalent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt—is considered a lethal dose.

Cartels and Foreign Terrorist Organizations use fentanyl profits to fund assassinations, terrorism, and insurgencies while waging armed conflict over trafficking routes and other facets of their operations.

The potential for fentanyl to be weaponized for concentrated, large-scale terror attacks by organized adversaries is a serious threat to the United States. By designating illicit fentanyl as a WMD, President Trump is ensuring the full weight of the Federal government is focused, coordinated, and mobilized to confront fentanyl as the deadly chemical weapon it is.

President Trump will not rest until the cartels are dismantled, illicit fentanyl is eradicated from America’s streets, and every family is safe from this chemical weapon.

Immediately upon returning to office, President Trump declared a National Emergency at the southern border that allowed the United States to gain operational control of the border, combat the cartels, and secure our Nation.

President Trump designated eight cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), including Tren de Aragua and MS-13, to combat their violence and drug trafficking.

President Trump imposed tariffs to deal with Mexico’s, Canada’s, and China’s failure to address the flow of poisonous fentanyl and other drugs into our country.
President Trump authorized military strikes to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats, and disrupt the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people.

President Trump signed the HaLT Fentanyl Act into law—permanently classifying fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. He is now taking the fight to the next level by designating illicit fentanyl as a WMD to stop the cartels and protect American families”.