Fentanyl, an opioid used as a painkiller for anesthesia but also as an illegal recreational drug, is becoming one of the top threats in the U.S. as the number of Fentanyl overdose deaths almost reached 30,000, getting closer to that of car accidents and gun violence.
After the China-U.S. summit on December 1, China issued the readout, which says that China will include all fentanyl-like substances into its list of a controlled substance and start the procedure to adjust relevant laws and regulations.
The White House made the statement: "Very importantly, President Xi, in a wonderful humanitarian gesture, has agreed to designate Fentanyl as a Controlled Substance.”
However, Harvey Dzodin, a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), thinks it mischaracterized the deal since Fentanyl has been a controlled substance in China for years.
“What the Chinese government appears to have done is very good, is to take Fentanyl as a family, not just one drug or one variant,” explained Harvey, “the whole family, not just the individual member, is going to be banned in China or be a controlled substance.”
In addition, Harvey believes the two governments need to work together more closely because Fentanyl has far-reaching detrimental effects not only in overdose deaths but also in life expectancy and the economy with lower labor force participation.
Victor Gao Zhikai, Vice President of CCG pointed out that the U.S. should do more to address the issue of Fentanyl, for instance, to tighten up more control on the imports and to come up with a more rigorous system as to who can buy, process and refine Fentanyl.
“Otherwise, you can buy Fentanyl not only from China but from other countries and you can even produce Fentanyl in your own country,” said Victor. “China can do our part, but the abuse part happens mostly in the U.S., so it's up to the U.S. government and President Donald Trump to really come up with a better regime in dealing with Fentanyl.”
Harvey added that the only way to really solve the problem is not only the two nations but other nations working together as well because it requires a global effort.
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