President of the United States Donald Trump signed an executive order classifying fentanyl and its main chemical precursors as a “weapon of mass destruction.” The order states that illicit fentanyl is “closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic,” and notes that just two milligrams – “an almost undetectable amount, equivalent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt” – constitute a lethal dose. “Americans have died,” the text accessed by the Argentine News Agency (NA) via Xinhua states. The media outlet Politico noted in a report published on Monday that the timing of this designation is notable, as speculation grows that the United States might carry out ground attacks against suspected drug trafficking targets in Venezuelan territory, as part of its pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The report stated that declaring fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction “would give the United States an additional legal justification to use military force against Venezuela.” Also on Monday, Trump stated that his Administration is “very seriously” considering signing an executive order to reclassify marijuana into a lower danger category, which would ease federal restrictions. “This would be a change that would formally recognize, for the first time, that cannabis has an accepted medical use under federal law,” CBS News reported.
