We must hold China accountable for Ohio’s opioid crisis
Our elected officials have for some time now been struggling to enact solutions to rein in the out-of-control opioid crisis. It was initially thought that curbing the overprescribing of prescription narcotics would solve the problem, but it merely caused the nature of the crisis to evolve. Instead of decreasing, the number of opioid-related overdose deaths has skyrocketed. The culprit? A tide of illicit fentanyl, a drug 50 times stronger than heroin, flowing from Chinese laboratories.
The rise of this potent synthetic opioid closely parallels the spike in overdose deaths. A dose as little
as 2 milligrams, equivalent to 4 grains of salt, is enough to prove deadly. From 2013 to 2017, seizures of illicit fentanyl at the border increased by 75,000%. In that same time synthetic opioidrelated overdose deaths in Ohio increased twentyfivefold, from 139 deaths in 2012 to 3,523 deaths in 2017. These figures show without a doubt that the drug fueling the opioid crisis has shifted and that our domestic and foreign policy must adjust in response.
As we formulate a response, two key lessons should be acknowledged. First, we must make sure we are doing all we can at home to help those suffering from addiction, including working with industry and medical professionals to ensure those suffering have access to treatment facilities. Second, public health, much like homeland security, often begins abroad and steps must be taken in the international arena to defend our interests at home.
One of the key ways to remove illegal fentanyl from our streets is to shut down the facilities where it is manufactured. China, after much urging from the Trump administration, designated fentanyl a controlled substance as of this May, ostensibly closing a huge loophole. But while this could be interpreted as encouraging news, it is hardly cause for celebration.
For starters, Beijing promised three years ago to cooperate with the Obama administration on “enhanced measures” to curb the supply of illicit fentanyl. Given the abundance of illegal fentanyl that has reached our shores since then, it is safe to conclude that the cooperation agreement was of limited success.
To date, there has also been little evidence that China takes the opioid crisis seriously or will put much effort into enforcing controls on the manufacture and distribution of illicit fentanyl. Liu Yuejin, the vice commissioner of the Chinese National Narcotics Control Commission, has said that cases of illegal fentanyl trafficking from China are “extremely limited.” But limiting Chinese access to its largest trading partner for this lax attitude may be just what is necessary to spur them into action.
A bill currently working its way through in Congress may finally force China’s hand. The Fentanyl Sanctions Act is a bipartisan bill that would provide U.S. law enforcement and sanctions officials with tools they need to more effectively combat the flood of illegal opioids coming into the United States.
The bill specifically targets illicit fentanyl coming from China with sanctions. Drug manufacturers in China who produce illicit fentanyl and the criminal organizations and traffickers, like those in Mexico, that smuggle the drugs into the United States will be faced with economic sanctions that will cripple their operations. If enacted, the law also would create a new Commission on Synthetic Opioid Trafficking to examine current U.S. efforts and provide recommendations on how to more effectively combat the flow of these illegal drugs into the country.
Money talks, which why it is so important to hold Chinese bad actors accountable through sanctions. The opioid crisis and the illegal fentanyl that fuels it affect Americans across the country and from all walks of life. In order to truly end the opioid crisis we must hold responsible those who have fueled the addictions of millions of Americans and compel all countries to do their part in stopping the flow of these illegal drugs.