Trump signs executive order labeling fentanyl ‘weapon of mass destruction’

Label is the latest lawsuit of Trump utilizing militarised, symbolic connection to warrant US operations against cause smuggling.

Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has said helium volition motion an enforcement bid labelling fentanyl, and its halfway precursors, arsenic a “weapon of wide destruction” (WMD), successful the latest lawsuit of his medication utilizing progressively militarised connection to warrant its operations against cause cartels and smugglers.

The announcement connected Monday comes aft the Trump administration’s repeated references to cause smugglers arsenic “narco-terrorists” and its designation of Latin American cartels arsenic “foreign violent organisations”.

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The medication has repeatedly claimed that planetary cause smuggling groups are not transgression networks bent connected profit, but organisations aimed astatine destabilising the US.

“There’s nary uncertainty that America’s adversaries are trafficking fentanyl into the United States, successful portion due to the fact that they privation to termination Americans,” Trump said connected Monday during a White House event.

“That’s wherefore today, I’m taking 1 much measurement to support Americans from the scourge of deadly fentanyl flooding into our country,” helium added.

“With this historical enforcement bid I volition motion today, we’re formally classifying fentanyl arsenic a limb of wide destruction.”

It was not instantly wide if the statement would person immoderate applicable impact, oregon what bearing it would person connected fentanyl legally bought for aesculapian use.

The enforcement bid called simply for a bid of actions from the heads of enforcement agencies to “eliminate the menace of illicit fentanyl and its halfway precursor chemicals to the United States”.

Under existent US law, which the president cannot unilaterally change, a limb of wide demolition is defined arsenic “any limb that is designed oregon intended to origin decease oregon superior bodily wounded done the release, dissemination, oregon interaction of toxic oregon poisonous chemicals, oregon their precursors”.

The explanation includes “any limb involving a biologic agent, toxin, oregon vector”, arsenic good arsenic “any limb that is designed to merchandise radiation oregon radioactivity astatine a level unsafe to quality life”.

It besides defines a WMD arsenic immoderate “destructive device”, including accepted bombs, missiles, grenades oregon items that tin beryllium converted to expel a projectile.

Increased threats

The Trump medication has utilized efforts to mitigate fentanyl smuggling arsenic a pretext for expanding tariffs connected Mexico and China.

The medication has besides utilized its wider run against drugs to warrant strikes connected alleged cause smuggling boats successful the Caribbean and eastbound Pacific – successful what rights groups accidental could magnitude to extrajudicial killings – and to warrant surging subject assets disconnected the seashore of Venezuela.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to statesman onshore attacks connected Venezuelan territory to antagonistic cause smuggling.

He repeated the menace connected Monday. “We’re going to commencement hitting them connected land, which is simply a batch easier to do, frankly,” helium said.

Venezuelan person Nicolas Maduro has maintained that the US unit run is aimed astatine toppling his government.

Despite the heightened rhetoric against Venezuela, determination experts person noted that the country, and South America, are not known hubs for fentanyl accumulation oregon exports.

“To beryllium perfectly clear, determination is nary fentanyl coming from Venezuela oregon elsewhere successful South America,” John Walsh, manager for cause argumentation and the Andes astatine the Washington Office connected Latin America (WOLA) said during an adept briefing earlier this month.

Some critics person likened Trump’s unit run against Venezuela to the buildup of the 2003 US penetration of Iraq, which was premised connected the mendacious uncovering that the authorities of Saddam Hussein was processing WMDs.