Episode #120 High Truths on Drugs and addiction with Andrew Weber, former Assistant Secretary of Defense and Fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass DestructionEpisode #120 High Truths on Drugs and addiction with Andrew Weber, former Assistant Secretary of Defense and Fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction
High Truths on Drugs and Addiction
If Illicit Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction? Who better to ask than former Assistant Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Andrew Weber. Andy talks about getting to the upstream supply side of illegal fentanyl. Senior Fellow, The Janne E. Nolan Center on Strategic Weapons Andy Weber is a Senior Fellow at the Council on Strategic Risks’ Janne E. Nolan Center on Strategic Weapons. Mr. Weber has dedicated his professional life to countering nuclear, chemical, and biological threats and to strengthening global health security. Mr. Weber’s decades of U.S. government service included five-and-a-half years as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs. He was a driving force behind Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction efforts to remove weapons-grade uranium from Kazakhstan and Georgia and nuclear-capable MiG-29 aircraft from Moldova, to reduce biological weapons threats, and to destroy Libyan and Syrian chemical weapons stockpiles. In addition, he coordinated U.S. leadership of the international Ebola response for the Department of State. Prior to joining the Pentagon as Advisor for Threat Reduction Policy in December 1996, Mr. Weber was posted abroad as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer in Saudi Arabia, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Hong Kong. Mr. Weber is an independent consultant and a Strategic Advisor for Ginkgo BioWorks. He serves on the Board of Healthcare Ready and the James Martin Center for Non-proliferation Studies International Advisory Council. He taught a course on Force and Diplomacy at the Georgetown University Graduate School of Foreign Service for seven years, and was a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Mr. Weber graduated from Cornell University and holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) degree from Georgetown University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His twitter handle is @AndyWeberNCB
47:08•10 Apr 2023
Andrew Weber on Combating Fentanyl: A National Security Threat
“I began a fight against this idea of people who are dying from fentanyl by a deception or by a poisoning, or by taking something that they believed to be other than fentanyl, which turned out to be fentanyl, and killed them.”
Ever thought about fentanyl as more than just a drug crisis? In this episode of 'High Truths on Drugs and Addiction', Dr. Roneet Lev sits down with Andrew Weber, the former Assistant Secretary of Defense, to tackle the alarming issue of fentanyl being used as a weapon of mass destruction. Weber, who has spent decades in U.S.
government service, shares his unique perspective on the upstream supply side of illegal fentanyl and the critical need to target major suppliers and cartels instead of just low-level traffickers. With his background in countering nuclear, chemical, and biological threats, Weber offers a sobering look at how fentanyl derivatives could be weaponized and the importance of investing in biodefense and chemical defense.
The conversation doesn't stop there; it also explores international cooperation, emphasizing the need for countries to work together on shared interests. Weber's insights extend to the rapid normalization of marijuana use across states, hinting at broader implications for public health and policy. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of drug policy and national security. Tune in to gain a deeper appreciation of the multifaceted battle against one of today's most pressing threats.
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