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President Donald Trump<\/a> issued an executive order on Monday designating the synthetic opioid fentanyl<\/a> as a \u201cweapon of mass destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n The move by Trump to elevate a narcotic to the level of a WMD has no precedent and effectively makes the drug a national security threat, despite the fact that it is used widely<\/a> in hospitals across the country. Trump said that drug cartels intend to \u201cdrug out\u201d the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, which is what it is,\u201d Trump said at a White House event<\/a> on Sunday.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The executive order<\/a> claimed that \u201cadversaries\u201d could use fentanyl for \u201cweaponized\u2026large-scale terror attacks.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIllicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic,\u201d the order read. \u201cHundreds of thousands of Americans have died from fentanyl overdoses.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The designation drew pushback from lawmakers. Rep. Jim McGovern<\/a>, D-Mass., criticized Trump for prosecuting fentanyl while pardoning \u201ccriminals\u201d<\/a> convicted of selling millions of dollars worth of illicit drug to the United States.<\/p>\n \u201cReminder: Trump pardoned the founder of a black market that imported fentanyl from China into the U.S.,\u201d McGovern, the ranking member on the House Rules Committee, wrote<\/a> on X, referring to Ross Ulbricht<\/a>, who ran the darknet marketplace Silk Road.<\/span><\/p>\n Start your day with essential news from Salon. Former Republican representative Justin Amash<\/a> said the executive order and change in designation amounted to \u201cexecutive overreach\u201d by Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cDesignating fentanyl as a \u2018weapon of mass destruction\u2019 is just the latest example of the state twisting the plain meaning of words to expand its power,\u201d Amash wrote<\/a> on X.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cLike \u2019emergency,\u2019 \u2018terrorist\u2019 and \u2018defensive\u2019 \u2014 all stretched to near-limitless scope to justify almost any executive overreach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The new labeling of fentanyl comes as military buildup against Venezuela<\/a> escalates and strikes against suspected drug boats<\/a> continue. Three boats were struck<\/a> on Monday, killing eight people. The US military said the boats were part of \u201cdesignated terrorist organizations,\u201d but provided no evidence of affiliation or illicit cargo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Read more<\/p>\n about Trump\u2019s drug war<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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