Executive Order No. 14367. Designating Fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction

• Executive Order No.: 14367
• Published date: 18 December 2025
• Citation: 90 FR 59365
• Date: 15 December 2025
• Section: Presidential Documents

Presidential Documents

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Executive Order 14367 of December 15, 2025

Designating Fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the

laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose and Policy. Illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon

than a narcotic. Two milligrams, an almost undetectable trace amount equiva-

lent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, constitutes a lethal dose. Hundreds

of thousands of Americans have died from fentanyl overdoses.

The manufacture and distribution of fentanyl, primarily performed by orga-

nized criminal networks, threatens our national security and fuels lawlessness

in our hemisphere and at our borders. The production and sale of fentanyl

by Foreign Terrorist Organizations and cartels fund these entities’ oper-

ations—which include assassinations, terrorist acts, and insurgencies around

the world—and allow these entities to erode our domestic security and

the well-being of our Nation. The two cartels that are predominantly respon-

sible for the distribution of fentanyl in the United States engage in armed

conflict over territory and to protect their operations, resulting in large-

scale violence and death that go beyond the immediate threat of fentanyl

itself. Further, the potential for fentanyl to be weaponized for concentrated,

large-scale terror attacks by organized adversaries is a serious threat to

the United States.

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 (WMD).

Sec. 2. Implementation. The heads of relevant executive departments and

agencies (agencies) shall take appropriate action to implement this order

and eliminate the threat of illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals

to the United States. This includes the following actions:

(a) the Attorney General shall immediately pursue investigations and pros-

ecutions into fentanyl trafficking, including through criminal charges as

appropriate, sentencing enhancements, and sentencing variances;

(b) the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury shall pursue

appropriate actions against relevant assets and financial institutions in ac-

cordance with applicable law for those involved in or supporting the manu-

facture, distribution, and sale of illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemi-

cals;

(c) the Secretary of War and the Attorney General shall determine whether

the threats posed by illicit fentanyl and its impact on the United States

warrant the provision of resources from the Department of War to the Depart-

ment of Justice to aid in the enforcement of title 18 of the United States

Code, as consistent with 10 U.S.C. 282;

(d) the Secretary of War, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland

Security, shall update all directives regarding the Armed Forces’ response

to chemical incidents in the homeland to include the threat of illicit fentanyl;

and

(e) to ensure the United States uses the full array of appropriate counter-

fentanyl tools, the Secretary of Homeland Security, as consistent with applica-

ble law and in coordination with the heads of relevant agencies, as appro-

priate, shall identify threat networks related to fentanyl smuggling using

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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 241 / Thursday, December 18, 2025 / Presidential Documents

WMD- and nonproliferation-related threat intelligence to support the full

spectrum of counter-fentanyl operations.

Sec. 3. Definitions. (a) ‘‘Illicit fentanyl’’ means fentanyl that is manufactured,

distributed, or dispensed, or possessed with intent to manufacture, distribute,

or dispense in violation of section 401 and 406 of the Controlled Substances

Act (21 U.S.C. 841, 846).

(b) ‘‘Core precursor chemicals’’ means the core chemicals that create illicit

fentanyl and its analogues, such as Piperidone or other Piperidone-based

substances.

Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed

to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency,

or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget

relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and

subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit,

substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party

against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers,

employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department

of Justice.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

December 15, 2025.

[FR Doc. 2025–23417

Filed 12–17–25; 11:15 am]

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