"Shaking the pot" cannot cure the "disease" abuse of fentanyl in the United States | Responsibility | Global | International | Anti drug | Substance | China | United States

Recently, 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. Not long ago, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions on 7 Chinese entities and 6 individuals for selling tablet presses, molds, and other equipment related to fentanyl. On the issue of the proliferation of fentanyl, the United States frequently "hits China", which is still a familiar "internal disease external treatment" routine.

Fentanyl is the most potent opioid substance discovered so far, mainly used in clinical anesthesia. According to statistics from the International Narcotics Control Bureau, the United States is the world's largest producer and consumer of fentanyl drugs, accounting for 5% of the world's population and consuming 80% of the world's opioid drugs. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, the number of deaths caused by synthetic opioids, especially fentanyl, has sharply increased in recent years.

The proliferation of fentanyl has become a public health crisis sweeping across the United States. However, the United States has never looked for its own reasons and has repeatedly "criticized" China.

——The US's advocacy of the concept of "fentanyl precursors" is actually a way of evading responsibility and openly "throwing the blame". The so-called "fentanyl precursor" in the United States is a common chemical that is legally and widely used in normal industrial production. Any company can produce, export, and use it on its own without reporting to government departments. The so-called "know your customers" approach proposed by the United States goes far beyond the obligations of the United Nations Convention on Drugs to all countries. Moreover, according to international conventions and practices, ensuring that international goods are not used for illegal purposes is the basic responsibility of importing enterprises and the legal obligation of the importing country's government. The baseless accusations and sanctions from the United States against China are actually a disregard for international trade and drug control rules and order, evading domestic management responsibilities and international drug control obligations.

——The United States accuses China of "undermining China US drug cooperation", which is actually shifting responsibility and "overturning the blame". There are a total of 27 fentanyl like substances controlled under the United Nations Convention against Drugs. China is the first country in the world to officially classify and regulate fentanyl like substances, with controlled varieties far beyond the scope of United Nations conventions. It also implements import and export licensing and international verification systems for all regulated chemicals, effectively preventing them from flowing into drug production channels through international trade channels. This plays an important role in preventing transnational illegal trafficking and abuse of fentanyl, with the United States being the main beneficiary country. According to reports from drug enforcement agencies such as the US Customs and Border Protection, since the Chinese government officially classified fentanyl like substances in 2019, the US has not seized any fentanyl like substances from China. In addition, China and the United States have established a mechanism for drug intelligence exchange since 2003, and have held a total of 9 exchange meetings so far. China has always adhered to a humanitarian and responsible attitude, demonstrating sufficient goodwill and sincerity to engage in unconventional cooperation with the United States, helping the US solve the fentanyl abuse crisis, and working together with countries around the world to address new challenges in the drug problem.

As the country with the most prominent fentanyl issue globally, the United States has not yet officially classified and regulated fentanyl like substances, and has repeatedly and unjustly sanctioned Chinese entities and individuals. It has even included important institutions responsible for the detection and control of fentanyl like substances, such as the Physical Evidence Appraisal Center of the Ministry of Public Security and the National Drug Laboratory, in the "entity list" for sanctions, seriously limiting China's ability to combat drugs and the foundation of drug cooperation between China and the United States, which has a negative impact on international drug cooperation.

——US law enforcement officers using "fishing law enforcement" to lure Chinese citizens in third countries, repeatedly charging Chinese entities and individuals, and arbitrarily detaining Chinese citizens, is a typical "long arm jurisdiction" and a reckless violation of international law. The United States has long been accustomed to using illegal means to pressure, coerce, and bully other countries, attempting to mislead the public, shift the focus of public opinion, and cover up the fact that its drug control efforts are inadequate. Mexican President Lopez had previously harshly accused the United States of conducting espionage activities in Mexico under the guise of "drug control", which was "insulting and arrogant interference behavior" and unacceptable.

In the context of increasingly strict control over opioid substances such as fentanyl in various countries around the world, the problem of fentanyl in the United States continues to worsen, with the number of deaths increasing instead of decreasing. Because the root cause of the rampant use of fentanyl in the United States is at home - on one hand, large American pharmaceutical companies spend a lot of money on political lobbying and selling "opioid harmlessness theory"; On one hand, the US government has allowed the public to develop drug abuse habits and has failed to effectively control the cross-border illegal production and trafficking of opioid substances.

"Shaking the pot" and "hitting the porcelain" cannot solve the problem in other countries. The proliferation of fentanyl in the United States is an internal disease that must be treated internally.