Staff Reports
China is finally stepping up to the plate in the fight against fentanyl production, a move that the Biden administration has been begging for like a kid with his hand up in a classroom for the past few years. The ink on the diplomatic agreements isn’t even dry yet, and suddenly there’s a crackdown on chemicals vital for making this deadly drug. But what’s the hurry? Could it possibly be related to the upcoming November elections? It’s certainly a curious coincidence that the timing happens to align so perfectly.
The U.S.-China relationship has always been one of those complicated sitcom plots where the characters can’t decide whether they’re enemies or just awkward acquaintances. However, when it comes to facing the fentanyl crisis, the stakes are undeniably high. Fentanyl has taken more lives during Biden’s presidency than a bad horror movie can stack up in one night, with the majority of this menacing substance sneaking in from Mexico. To put it in perspective, federal law enforcement recently seized enough fentanyl to metaphorically vaporize every man, woman, and child in America 18 times over—talk about a public health emergency that demands attention.
China imposes restrictions on fentanyl chemicals after pressure from U.S.
Move is first time in six years Beijing will restrict ingredients used in the drug
Source: FT pic.twitter.com/ahD2Ai80Ay
— Zagonel (@Zagonel85) August 7, 2024
As of September 1st, China will reportedly be tightening its grip on the production of three key chemicals used to make fentanyl. These chemicals—4-AP, 1-boc-4-AP, and norfentanyl—have been on the United Nations’ naughty list for a while now, but China took its sweet time getting around to doing something about it. It’s not as if fentanyl’s been a surprise, after all. The global addiction crisis has slowly morphed into a raging epidemic, and if you think drug cartels are going to slow down just because of some bureaucratic hand-wringing, think again.
The Biden administration did manage to nudge China into action with a California meeting last November to concoct a joint counternarcotics working group. It’s almost as if they decided that waiting for a response was not the best game plan, while American families were losing loved ones left and right. It’s a classic case of playing catch-up while the other team ran the score up to an embarrassing level. One could almost picture federal agents saying, “What happened to all those years of planning?”
The crafty drug cartels have a clever tactic of creating counterfeit pills that closely resemble prescription medications but contain the lethal mix of fentanyl. This is the equivalent of dressing up as a cop for Halloween but with far more deadly consequences. The Trump administration had already tried to put a stop to this madness back in 2019 by pressuring China into cracking down—not that it took a pandemic to shake things up. Now, the world is left to wonder if this latest Chinese cooperation is genuine or just a ploy that will fizzle out once the election dust settles.
Whether this move by China is heartfelt or just an elaborate political charade remains to be seen. One thing is for sure: the stakes are dangerously high for Americans caught in the crossfire of international drug trafficking. It’s high time to quit the foot-dragging and take substantial action that doesn’t just look good on paper. The war on drugs isn’t won with platitudes—it’s time for some serious accountability, both abroad and at home.
