Experts say declaring fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction won’t reduce overdoses : NPR

President Trump on Monday signed an executive order designating the street drug fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, a move experts say is unlikely to curb the supply of drugs or slow overdose deaths in the U.S.

Executive Order and Justification

The order declares that “the manufacture and distribution of fentanyl, primarily performed by organized criminal networks, threatens our national security and fuels lawlessness in our hemisphere and at our borders.” During an event in the Oval Office, Trump stated that the carnage fentanyl has caused in American families is worse than U.S. deaths in many wars, claiming “two to three hundred thousand people die every year, that we know of, so we’re formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.”

Discrepancies in Overdose Statistics

However, Trump’s numbers are significantly inflated. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl was responsible for roughly 48,000 deaths in the U.S. last year – a 27 percent drop from the previous year.

Limited Precedent and Expert Concerns

Experts also point out that fentanyl’s practical use as a weapon of mass destruction is limited. There is only one documented instance worldwide, in 2002, where the Russian government weaponized fentanyl in gas form. No such cases have been reported in the U.S. A 2019 report by the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction at the National Defense University concluded that “it is not evident that there is any basis or need for, or net benefit to, officially designating fentanyl compounds as weapons of mass destruction.”

Focus on Addiction, Not Weaponization

Jeffrey Singer, a physician and expert on street drugs at the Cato Institute, argues that deaths are caused by widespread opioid addiction, not deliberate weaponization by cartels. “I don’t know how you can equate smugglers meeting market demand and selling something illegal to someone who wants to buy it as an act of war,” Singer said.

Broader Militarization of Drug Policy

The executive order is part of a wider militarization of the U.S. war against street drugs, including military strikes on alleged drug-running boats and reclassifying cartels as terrorist organizations. The U.S. military has carried out at least 22 attacks on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific near Venezuela this year, resulting in over 80 deaths, according to an NPR analysis. Trump has claimed these strikes are making Americans safer, stating, “Every boat that gets hit, we save 25,000 American lives and when you view it that way, you don’t mind.”

Questionable Effectiveness of Military Strikes

However, experts on criminal cartels and deadly street drugs question the effectiveness of these military strikes. Vanda Felbab-Brown of the Brookings Institution argues that killing drug mules has minimal impact on drug flow or cartel systems. She also notes that fentanyl is not produced or smuggled via the boats being targeted.

Concerns Over Pardons and Cooperation

Critics also point to Trump’s pardons of high-level drug traffickers and gang leaders as undermining the effort. Trump recently pardoned the former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, despite evidence of his involvement with drug trafficking. Felbab-Brown questioned the logic, stating, “What is the point of the policy?” Trump has also pardoned the creator of the Silk Road dark web marketplace and a former leader of the Gangster Disciples.

Administration Defense

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly defended the administration’s actions, stating, “The President is right – any boat bringing deadly poison to our shores has the potential to kill 25,000 Americans or more.” Vice President JD Vance echoed this sentiment in a social media post, asserting that “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.”