US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order designating illegal fentanyl and the key chemicals used to produce it as weapons of mass destruction. The White House press service announced this.
“As President of the United States, it is my highest duty to protect our nation and its citizens. Therefore, I hereby designate illegal fentanyl and the chemicals necessary for its production as weapons of mass destruction,” the executive order says.
The document states that “two milligrams, which is equivalent to 10-15 table salt crystals, is a lethal dose,” and that hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from fentanyl overdoses.
Trump stressed that the production and distribution of this substance, which organized crime groups mainly carry out, is a serious threat to US national security.
Politico notes that considering the drug a weapon of mass destruction is an unprecedented step. Fentanyl enters the United States primarily through Mexico, where drug cartels manufacture it using ingredients imported from China. Fentanyl production is also growing in Southeast Asia. The drug is easily manufactured in clandestine laboratories, complicating efforts to combat it.
