President Donald Trump announced he will sign an executive order classifying fentanyl and its core precursors as a “weapon of mass destruction” (WMD), framing it as part of his administration’s intensified language against drug cartels.

The move follows prior measures labeling Latin American cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations” and referring to smugglers as “narco-terrorists.”

Trump argued that fentanyl trafficking is intended to harm Americans and described the order as a step to protect the country from the drug’s deadly effects.

The order directs executive agencies to take actions to eliminate the threat of illicit fentanyl, though it is unclear what practical or legal impact the WMD designation will have, Al-Jazeera has reported.

Under U.S. law, WMDs include chemical, biological, or radioactive weapons and certain destructive devices, but the label does not automatically change how fentanyl used medically is regulated.