Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday criticized the United States for classifying fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction,” saying the fight against the deadly opioid must address the root causes of drug use as Washington intensifies its crackdown on drug cartels.
Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, Sheinbaum said she had raised the issue directly with U.S. President Donald Trump, warning against an approach centered solely on security measures.
“I have raised this with President Trump – the causes of drug use must be addressed, not just this approach of classifying one of the drugs as a lethal weapon of mass destruction,” she said.
Trump on Monday signed an executive order designating illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, placing it in the same category as nuclear and chemical weapons as part of his administration’s broader campaign against drug cartels in Latin America.
The order said fentanyl is “closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic” and warned that its manufacture and distribution pose a threat to U.S. national security.
