Staff Reports
The Biden administration has decided to step into the chaotic world of drug trafficking with a new National Security Memorandum, which appears to be their latest attempt at tackling the pandemic of dangerous substances like fentanyl that have swept across the nation. To address a problem that’s been festering for years, they’re suddenly calling for Congress to up the ante on penalties for traffickers as if merely knowing that they should is enough to deter those who thrive in the underbelly of society.
The White House’s announcement about the new memorandum sounds like a classic move from a government that has spent too much time wringing its hands at the past. The statement reflects an alarming recognition that fentanyl has claimed far too many lives—everyone from children to long-suffering parents has felt the brunt of this crisis. Yet, for anyone observing the Biden administration’s trajectory, it raises the question: What took them so long? It’s not as if the opioid epidemic casually knocked on the White House door and introduced itself last week.
Biden administration announces new actions to deter ‘scourge of fentanyl’ and other drugs https://t.co/5PZhgXYpLu
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) July 31, 2024
Biden’s grand plan calls for a sort of all-hands-on-deck approach at the federal level, urging every agency to “do even more” in combating the production and distribution of these lethal drugs. It’s reminiscent of a football team frantically looking for the right play in the fourth quarter, yet still without a clear strategy. Drug traffickers and suppliers, as noted in the memorandum, have shown a remarkable ability to adapt to whatever the government throws at them. So, if they’re urging collaboration, one has to wonder how much collaboration this administration will actually provide on a battlefield they’ve been avoiding for years.
Moreover, the proposal touting the “Detect and Defeat” initiative isn’t exactly setting the world on fire in terms of originality. This part of the plan is meant to catch small-scale drug shipments that local law enforcement cannot seem to pin down. It seems like more of a high-tech solution to a problem that requires boots on the ground and an actual strategy—something the Biden administration might be lacking. And just when one thought the government couldn’t get any more involved, the memo mentions a proposed federal registry to track the machines making illegal fentanyl. This could lead to a bureaucratic nightmare and an endless discussion about who regulates what, all while the drug trade continues to thrive.
Finally, the administration is looking to permanently reclassify fentanyl as a “Schedule I” substance, which sounds great on paper, but one can only hope they find actual enforcement to back it up. This move is positioned to maximize criminal penalties against those caught with these substances, which, in theory, should make traffickers think twice. However, if history teaches anything, the criminals may be plotting their next scheme while the government drafts yet another memo. In the end, what remains is a hopeful glimmer that this time they might just follow through—though many are left skeptical of the political willpower that seems perpetually in short supply when addressing such an urgent threat.
