Overseas Online Review: "Internal Disease and External Treatment" Cannot Quit America's "Drug Addiction" Chemicals | Drugs | America
Opioid drug images from CNN in the United States
On the eve of International Drug Control Day on June 26th, the United States once again drugged China US drug cooperation. On June 23rd local time, the US Department of Justice announced that it is suing multiple Chinese companies and several Chinese citizens on suspicion of producing and selling fentanyl chemical precursors. Faced with the addiction to fentanyl, which has become one of the "most serious public health crises", the United States always thinks of "treating internal diseases externally", and ultimately can only harm others and oneself.
On June 24th, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a stern response to the US move: China urged the US to stop blaming and smearing China, immediately lift sanctions against China's drug law enforcement agencies, stop using fentanyl as an excuse to sanction, prosecute Chinese companies and citizens, and implement reward based arrests and arbitrary detention, and immediately release Chinese citizens who have been illegally arrested. China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and citizens.
The indiscriminate prosecution of Chinese enterprises and individuals is another strong evidence of the United States wielding its hegemonic baton recklessly. According to information disclosed by media such as Reuters, the so-called "production and sale of fentanyl precursors by Chinese companies and individuals to the United States" in this lawsuit by the US is fundamentally a "fishing law enforcement" lure operation. In fact, according to international conventions and practices, ensuring that international goods are not used for illegal purposes is the basic responsibility of importing enterprises and also a legal obligation of the importing country's government. The precursor of fentanyl is a dual-use chemical that can be used to produce legitimate drugs, and the supervision of such chemicals is more of the responsibility of the importing enterprise and the country. The United States does not regulate its own enterprises and individuals, but instead uses the big stick of illegal detention, long arm jurisdiction, and unilateral sanctions to target Chinese enterprises and individuals. This arbitrary practice of weaving charges seriously violates the basic human rights of Chinese citizens, damages the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, and exposes the facade of the so-called "rule-based order" in the United States, vividly demonstrating to the world how the United States abuses hegemony and tramples on international law and order.
In the past few years, the United States has repeatedly "drugged" China US active cooperation in the field of drug control. In May 2020, the US imposed sanctions on drug law enforcement agencies such as the Physical Evidence Appraisal Center of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and the National Drug Laboratory on unfounded charges; In April 2022, the US government initiated lawsuits and sanctions against multiple Chinese companies and individuals on the grounds of alleged involvement in the production of fentanyl precursors; In May 2023, the US announced sanctions against Chinese entities and individuals on the grounds of involvement in illegal drug production. While shouting for cooperation and stabbing at the same time, such actions by the US will only continuously undermine the foundation of China US drug cooperation and create obstacles for cooperation between the two countries in this field.
Blaming China for the problem of fentanyl addiction in the United States is not only a traditional talent for American politicians to shift blame. The problem of fentanyl addiction has long been one of the most serious public health crises in the United States. According to public data cited by Voice of America, over 107000 Americans died from drug overdose in 2021, with 66% of deaths attributed to the abuse of synthetic opioid drugs such as fentanyl. From May to September 2022, the US Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Agency seized 36 million lethal doses of fentanyl across the United States, penetrating almost every channel of illegal drug trafficking. However, the reason why fentanyl has become rampant in the United States is precisely the result of the collusion and mutual benefit between the American political, business, and medical communities. In order to maintain market profits, large pharmaceutical companies have invested a large amount of funds to support experts and associations in promoting the "harmless theory of opioid drugs", thereby promoting the legalization of drugs, encouraging pharmacies to vigorously promote drugs, and physicians to prescribe drugs indiscriminately, causing some patients to unknowingly become addicted and unable to extricate themselves. Al Jazeera pointed out that "part of the reason for the fentanyl crisis in the United States is that over the years, American pharmaceutical companies have actively promoted opioid drugs such as Osconazole.".
In addition, the US government's inadequate regulation of drugs, even allowing them to go unchecked, has contributed to this situation. Voice of America has reported that some drug trafficking groups can even use the US postal system for drug transactions. Faced with this situation, why are American politicians who shout "protect our most precious resource - the lives of Americans" doing nothing? The Manhattan Policy Institute, a US think tank, pointed out that in the national drug control strategy released by the US government, there is almost no significant role that the government should have played in combating this public health challenge, but rather allowing drugs and drug abuse to escalate.
Currently, the United States is the country with the most serious drug problem in the world, accounting for approximately 12% of the world's drug users. If American politicians still do not want to confront the real reasons for the rampant drug abuse in the United States and only want to "shirk responsibility" and transfer responsibility, "treating internal diseases and external problems" will not only not help the United States "quit drug", but will only make the United States a "drug den" that causes global chaos.
