President Donald Trump signed an executive order on December 15 classifying “illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals” as weapons of mass destruction.
“Today I’m taking one more step to protect Americans from the scourge of deadly fentanyl flooding into our country with this historic executive order,” he said during an Oval Office appearance, adding, “No bomb does what this is doing.”
US law already bans the use or threat of weapons of mass destruction, with penalties that can include death. The law defines weapons of mass destruction as including “any weapon involving a biological agent, toxin, or vector,” leaving the practical impact of the order unclear.
The opioid crisis in the United States is currently claiming the lives of more than 50,000 people a year, a truly shocking death toll largely fueled by fentanyl. The drug, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is many times more powerful than heroin. When administered properly under strict medical supervision, it's a legitimate and effective painkiller, but fentanyl misuse is causing the deaths of around 150 people every day across the country. Sadly, many of these victims are teenagers.
So, why is fentanyl so harmful, and what's being done to save lives? Click through and find out more about the opioid that's killing America.