U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced plans for an anti-drug advertising campaign aimed at highlighting the physical toll of drug use, including fentanyl. Speaking at a Turning Point conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump said, “We’re going to advertise how bad drugs are for you. They ruin your look, your face, your skin, and your teeth.”
Though offering few specifics, Trump likened the initiative to a political campaign, pledging substantial, but comparatively small, funding. The Trump transition team did not provide further details.
This effort recalls the 1980s “Just Say No” campaign led by former first lady Nancy Reagan. The U.S. is projected to lose 50,000 to 60,000 people to synthetic opioid overdoses this year, primarily from fentanyl.
Fentanyl and synthetic opioids were focal points of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, despite overdose deaths doubling during his 2017-2021 administration.
Trump also reiterated his vow to designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a promise he shelved in 2019 at the request of Mexico’s then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who sought cooperation over intervention. U.S. officials had also expressed concerns that the designation could harm bilateral relations and hinder Mexico’s anti-trafficking efforts.
Trump’s election platform outlines plans to deploy special forces, cyber warfare, and other operations to dismantle cartel networks. “I will immediately designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations,” he declared, emphasizing a tough stance on tackling drug-related crime and cartel influence.
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