Fentanyl has rightly been framed as a public health emergency. But that framing alone is no longer sufficient.

Illicit fentanyl now sits at the intersection of public health, national security, and chemical threat preparedness. Its extreme potency, ease of synthesis, and global availability create a dual-use risk that adversaries could exploit far beyond traditional drug trafficking. Former Department of Defense officials have already warned that terrorist groups may one day attempt to aerosolize fentanyl or its analogues—an alarming prospect with real historical precedent.

In 2002, an aerosolized fentanyl-based compound was used during the Moscow theater hostage crisis, killing more than 130 civilians. Today, similar compounds are more accessible, more potent, and embedded in illicit supply chains that span the globe. The question is no longer whether this risk exists—but whether our preparedness frameworks are aligned to confront it.

Treating fentanyl as a potential chemical threat does not criminalize medicine or undermine addiction treatment. It strengthens deterrence, improves readiness, and ensures that medical countermeasures, detection technologies, and defense doctrine keep pace with evolving threats.

Preparedness is not panic. It is policy maturity.

The full article outlines what strategic action looks like—from modernizing medical countermeasure development to investing in detection and deterrence technologies and leading international norms that close dangerous legal gaps.