Trump Administration Memo Labels Fentanyl as Possible Chemical Weapon in Military Justification
A leaked memo from the Trump administration’s Office of Legal Counsel suggests fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, could be classified as a chemical weapon to justify military strikes on drug cartel boats in the Caribbean. Although the memo does not explicitly use this classification as the main legal basis, it supports the designation of drug cartels as foreign terrorists and frames the U.S. military action as lawful under this premise.
The Wall Street Journal revealed a previously secret memo from the Trump administration’s Justice Department that outlines legal reasoning for ongoing U.S. military strikes targeting drug trafficking boats in international Caribbean waters. Central to the memo is the argument that drug cartels, designated as foreign terrorist organizations by President Trump, constitute legitimate military targets because they fund deadly violence against the U.S. and its allies through drug trafficking. Notably, the memo describes fentanyl—an extremely potent synthetic opioid responsible for widespread overdose deaths—as a potential chemical weapon. However, it stops short of explicitly citing this classification as a primary justification for the strikes. The memo also characterizes the conflict with drug cartels as a noninternational armed conflict, making U.S. military personnel lawfully engaged and immune from prosecution. This justification has faced criticism for legality concerns and contradictory Pentagon practices, as the military admits it does not positively identify people killed in the strikes. The memo’s narrative aligns with White House talking points labeling drug traffickers as terrorists financing global violence. This approach marks a significant shift in U.S. counter-narcotics policy, using military force abroad under a terrorism framework and expanding the concept of chemical weapons to include fentanyl, a drug that has caused a public health crisis through lethal overdoses in the U.S.
