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Dear John,

This week, President Trump issued an Executive Order designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction—the latest escalation of his administration’s militarized drug policy. We have been tracking and denouncing this escalation since the Trump ordered the first strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in September. As of today, 28 such lawless strikes have killed 104 people. There should be no mistake: these killings are occurring in peacetime and amount to murders. The Trump’s administration’s militarized rhetoric and policy threatens to undo decades of hard-won lessons about the failures of the war on drugs. 

After twenty years working on drug policy issues, I can say with certainty: we have seen this playbook before. Militarization, maximalist rhetoric, and the abandonment of evidence-based approaches does not reduce drug-related harms. Escalating the drug war will only increase violence, destabilize communities, and devastate human rights, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.  

These past few months have been incredibly demanding, as we respond to a barrage of actions taken by the administration. Last week, I participated in a panel examining narco-terrorism rhetoric and its human rights implications, where we dissected how dangerous this framing can be. You can watch the recording here! On Monday, I joined colleagues from partner organizations at a press conference to voice our collective concerns. On Thursday, I spoke at the OAS about the unlawfulness of the Trump administration’s boat strikes, and the need for accountability. You can read my remarks here. I've also been speaking with media outlets around the world—including Al Jazeera, BBC, and The Hill—to ensure that evidence-based perspectives reach broader audiences as this crisis unfolds. 

For those wanting to follow the administration's actions in real time, I encourage you to visit our comprehensive tracker on the WOLA website, where we are documenting each development as it happens. 

This has been a difficult year in drug policy. We are watching hard-earned gains eroded and harmful policies enacted at a pace that feels breathtaking. But if there was ever a moment that demanded WOLA's expertise, institutional memory, and unwavering commitment to human rights and evidence-based policy, it is now. 

Drawing on our decades of experience in the region and our deep understanding of what works—and what doesn't—in drug policy, we will continue to monitor, analyze, advocate, and resist harmful approaches. We will keep amplifying the voices of affected communities, partnering with organizations across the Americas, and fighting for policies grounded in dignity, health, and human rights. 

Thank you for standing with us. 

In solidarity, 

John Walsh

Director for Drug Policy and the Andes

For human rights activists across Latin America right now, the stakes are high. Violence around elections is on the rise, as are threats against those who speak in favor of justice and accountability.

Your support of WOLA creates space to amplify the voices of those who put their life on the line to champion human rights; from Caracas, to San Salvador, and everywhere in between.

"To be perfectly clear, there is no fentanyl coming from Venezuela or elsewhere in South America."

John Walsh

Director for Drug Policy and the Andes

– Al Jazeera, Trump signs executive order labelling fentanyl ‘weapon of mass destruction’

“President Trump does not rely on studies or intelligence estimates at all; he does not even read his intelligence briefings. He is improvising and has an agenda in which he does not want leaders in the region, throughout Latin America, to question him. So, he has Gustavo Petro firmly in his sights. And, well, it's true that there has been an increase in cocaine production in Colombia, but that's debatable: whether it is due to collusion, cooperation between the government and drug traffickers, or whether it is more a matter of mismanagement, something that has also happened with other governments." (This article is in Spanish)

Adam Isacson

Director for Defense Oversight

– El Espectador, Colom­bia, ¿fábrica de cocaína?

"[A U.S. strike on Colombian territory] would be completely counterproductive to addressing the drug issue. This is a transnational criminal problem that involved multiple different countries, and the U.S. has its culpability as well […] in the sense that it provides the incentives for this trade to flourish, because the U.S. is the market which is buying a lot of the cocaine.” 

Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli

Director for the Andes

– Deutsche Welle, US President Trump warns he may strike drug sites in Colombia | DW News

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