Opinion | Is Fentanyl 'Closer To A Chemical Weapon Than A Narcotic'? |
On December 15, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that claimed fentanyl is “closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic" and that it could potentially be weaponised for “concentrated, large-scale terror attacks by organised adversaries."
This executive order came as part of a wider militarisation of the US war against street drugs that includes military strikes on alleged drug-running boats and reclassifying cartels as terrorist organisations.
The Trump administration’s national security strategy elevated the fight against “narco-terrorists" to a key Defense Department priority, calling for “the use of lethal force to replace the failed law enforcement-only strategy."
President Trump designated eight cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), including Tren de Aragua and MS-13, to combat their violence and drug trafficking.
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.
Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain relief) and anaesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.
Mexico is the largest source of US-bound illicit fentanyl. Many of the chemicals used to manufacture the drug are sourced from China.
The vast chemical and pharmaceutical industries in China are the main global suppliers of the precursor chemicals required to synthesise fentanyl. China is a primary source country for the precursor chemicals used to manufacture illicit fentanyl. While China has implemented strict controls on the final drug, Mexican transnational criminal organisations largely handle the final synthesis and trafficking of illicit fentanyl into the US The typical supply chain involves Mexican cartels, primarily the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels, acquiring Chinese-made precursor chemicals. They then synthesise the final product in clandestine laboratories in Mexico and........