Trump brands fentanyl a ‘weapon of mass destruction’ in drug war escalation

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 – President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday declaring fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, a move that dramatically expands the U.S. government’s authority to fight the synthetic opioid blamed for tens ?of ?thousands of American overdose deaths each year. The designation, unprecedented for a narcotic, ?signals Trump’s intent to treat fentanyl not merely as a public health crisis but as a national security threat on a ?par ?with chemical warfare. The classification, ratcheting up an assault on what he says are gangs hellbent on flooding the U.S. with drugs, empowers the Pentagon to assist…