President Donald Trump’s executive order designating fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a significant escalation of efforts to curb the fentanyl supply, said Katharine Neill Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell III Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Harris is available to speak to the news media about drug usage and U.S. drug policy.
“While illicitly manufactured fentanyl can be deadly, it is not lethal in the way that WMDs like sarin or mustard gas are,” Harris said. “Millions of Americans consume fentanyl and do not die; many are physically dependent on it. This is an addiction crisis that must be addressed, but it is not clear how declaring fentanyl a WMD will achieve that.”
The executive order directs the secretaries of state and treasury to pursue action against financial institutions that support fentanyl trafficking. The federal government should absolutely follow the money, Harris argues.
“Seizing financial assets of those involved in fentanyl trafficking is the kind of high-level action needed to hold powerful criminal networks accountable,” she said.
But Harris said other efforts to reduce the drug supply, when not matched with real investment in treatment and prevention, have limited effect because they do not address Americans’ demand for drugs. Preoccupation with a single drug also risks missing the forest for the trees; new substances are popping up and wreaking havoc on a regular basis. On the same day Trump signed the executive order, the New York Times reported on how medetomidine, a veterinary sedative, is causing a deadly withdrawal crisis in Philadelphia and other cities.
“Furthermore, law enforcement agencies already have numerous legal tools to disrupt and prosecute fentanyl trafficking. It is unclear how the WMD designation will help,” Harris said. “Against the backdrop of the administration’s claims that military strikes on Venezuelan boats are targeting fentanyl trafficking, the WMD classification becomes more concerning. Venezuela does not play a significant role in the production or trafficking of fentanyl, and the American public is left to wonder whether designating fentanyl as a WMD will be used as legal justification for future military aggression.
To schedule an interview with Harris, contact Avery Franklin, media relations specialist at Rice, at AveryRF@rice.edu.
To learn more about Harris’ work in drug policy, click here.