Why Did Trump Designate Fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction? |
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An Executive Order issued on December 15, 2025 by White House, signed by the president Donald Trump designates fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD). Fentanyl is a fully synthetic opioid, similar to morphine or heroin, which is extremely potent and addictive. While it is legally prescribed for severe pain, most fentanyl driving today’s overdose crisis is produced illicitly. On occasions this drug is mixed with some other drugs like some counterfeit pills to hide identity. There is a possibility that even a tiny amount can be fatal, it mainly depends on the health of the individual consuming it. Fentanyl overdoses that result in death can happen with exposure levels of under 0.00015 grams. Like other opioids, repeated use of fentanyl alters brain function, leading to strong dependence and continued use despite serious harm. This drug has a potency 50 times greater than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
Drug addiction is a disease that adversely affects a person’s brain and behaviour. People consume a wide range of substances as drugs many a times to cope with stress or emotions, including illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as legal substances like marijuana and nicotine. Any excessive habit to alcohol drinking also gets recognised drug addiction. In recent times, fentanyl is one such substance that has caused a major human tragedy in the United States (US). As per the US DEA (Drugs of Abuse) Administrator, the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45, is fentanyl overdose. This addictive drug is responsible for nearly 70% of the US 107,000-plus drug overdose deaths in the year 2024. The US administration is undertaking various precautionary measures to diminish the availability of this drug. One of their major concerns has been to control the supply of the Chinese made fentanyl. For some years now, there has been a flow of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids and their precursors into the US from China. The diplomatic breakthrough in this regard came during 2023 with the formation of the joint US-China counter-narcotics working group. China appears to be proactive to assist the US on this issue.
The US concerns around fentanyl are genuine and they need to continue efforts at all levels to ensure that their citizens do not get into any type of ‘fentanyl trap’. However, the motive behind calling fentanyl as WMD needs some investigation. It is not........