New “Weapons Of Mass Destruction” Targeting Young New Yorkers

New Yorkers are being warned about a deadly threat.

On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order formally designating illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction.

"As President of the United States, my highest duty is the defense of the country and its citizens. Accordingly, I hereby designate illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction," Trump stated.

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The order reclassifies the drug from a routine narcotic to a national security and chemical weapon threat. Trump says the drug could be used for large-scale terrorist attacks.

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According to the White House:

• licit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans
• Just two milligrams of fentanyl—equivalent to 10-15 grains of table salt—is considered a lethal dose.
• Cartels and Foreign Terrorist Organizations use fentanyl profits to fund assassinations, terrorism, and insurgencies while waging armed conflict over trafficking routes and other facets of their operations.
• The potential for fentanyl to be weaponized for concentrated, large-scale terror attacks by organized adversaries is a serious threat to the United States

"President Trump is unleashing every available tool against the cartels and foreign networks that have turned fentanyl into the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45," the White House stated.

In New York, the leading causes of death for New Yorkers aged 18-45 are unintentional injuries, primarily driven by drug overdoses, especially fentanyl, according to data from the CDC and USAFacts. Followed by other factors like suicide and vehicle accidents.

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