US President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered federal agencies to coordinate and intensify efforts to disrupt the supply chain of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

He wrote in a national security memorandum addressed to federal agencies ranging from the FBI to the Postal Service:

Tackling the deadly scourge of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids has been a top priority since my first day in office. I have made combatting this deadly epidemic and saving American lives a centerpiece of my Unity Agenda.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be 50 to 100 times more powerful than heroin, and far cheaper to produce. In recent years, it has become an increasingly common ingredient in recreational drugs. Its widespread availability has led to increased overdose deaths across the US. In May 2020, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the past year had seen 81,230 drug overdose deaths — the highest figure for any 12-month period in recorded US history.

In his directive, Biden ordered federal agencies to “engage collectively and collaboratively, employing all available tools, in support of the shared goal of materially and sustainably disrupting the illicit fentanyl supply chain.”

In an accompanying statement, Biden said:

Far too many of our fellow Americans continue to lose loved ones to fentanyl. This is a time to act. And this is a time to stand together—for all those we have lost, and for all the lives we can still save.

Key elements of Biden’s strategy include bolstering intelligence coordination across agencies, increasing information sharing between intelligence and law enforcement agencies, prioritizing strategic actions aimed at disrupting the supply chain, and improving coordination with the private sector. The memo also calls for the creation of a National Security Council Fentanyl Disruption Steering Group to oversee implementation of the new policies.

The directive builds on previous efforts, including sanctions on individuals and entities involved in the global illicit drug trade and increased seizures at US borders.

Fentanyl has become a key issue in the 2024 presidential race. Republicans have blamed the surge in overdose deaths on inadequately strict border policies under Biden. The White House has pushed back, asserting in a press call on Tuesday: “The Biden-Harris administration has invested over $82 billion in treatment, which is 40 percent more than the [Trump] administration.”

The opioid crisis originated in the late 1990s when Purdue Pharma and other drug companies marketed prescription opioids as safe and non-addictive.

A combination of aggressive marketing and inadequate regulation led doctors to prescribe drugs like Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin liberally. Surging prescription levels gave way to widespread misuse, and as regulators moved to block prescription flows, many users transitioned to heroin and later to dangerous synthetic opioids like fentanyl — an evolution described by the CDC as the three waves of opioid overdose deaths.

Biden’s announcement came amid a flurry of ambitious policy measures his administration has taken since announcing this month he would not seek reelection this November.