The 'Chemical War' Claiming 70,000 American Lives Annually
The United States is in dire need of increasing its crackdown on the production and trafficking of fentanyl and other lethal synthetic drugs to control the ongoing crisis, according to several experts who spoke to The Epoch Times. As time goes on, the task becomes increasingly difficult due to the growing sophistication of the criminal organizations involved.
More than 100,000 Americans died from overdoses last year, with over 70,000 of these deaths attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, as per estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The US government has invested billions in addiction treatment, but the widespread availability of these drugs makes it difficult for treatment to be effective, according to some experts. They argue that the supply needs to be drastically reduced.
Illegal fentanyl usually enters the US via the southern border from Mexico, where it is produced using chemicals from China and pressed into pills that often resemble prescription drugs like Xanax, Adderall, or oxycodone.
Experts have dismissed attempts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to regulate the export of illicit chemicals as superficial. They argue that the regime is using drugs as a strategic weapon against the United States.
Derek Maltz, former head of special operations at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), said, “This is a chemical war that we’re facing, and no one’s treating it as a war.”
The House Select Committee on the CCP released a report earlier this year detailing China’s involvement in every step of fentanyl trafficking. Chinese companies manufacture the precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, ship these chemicals to Mexico, and supply the pill presses used to create counterfeit pills. Chinese organized crime groups then assist the cartels in laundering and moving the illicit profits from the United States to Mexico.
Both the Trump and Biden administrations have pressured China to impose additional regulations on fentanyl, its analogs, and precursors. However, according to Andrew Harding, a research assistant at the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, these measures “lack teeth” because they do not impose “substantial costs” on illicit producers.
The CCP has claimed to have shut down 14 websites, suspended over 330 business accounts, and closed over 1,000 online shops involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals, according to a senior Biden administration official.
However, the official acknowledged that “there continues to be a significant supply of precursor chemicals out of [China].”
Experts suggest that the time for small steps and engagement has passed due to China’s weak actions that hint at intentional harm.
The Select Committee on CCP found that Beijing was subsidizing illicit chemical exports, providing tax rebates specifically on sales of chemicals that are often not only illegal in China, but lack legitimate use besides making illegal drugs. Some of the rebates were even higher than those offered on any other export products.
The Biden administration, however, has not endorsed this conclusion.
The experts argue that to truly solve the crisis, the United States needs to target every chokepoint along the trafficking chain, and it must be done quickly.
Cartels and other criminal organizations are increasingly trafficking synthetic drugs even more potent than fentanyl, such as xylazine and nitazenes. Xylazine is particularly dangerous as it causes tissue necrosis and its overdose cannot be reversed using naloxone—a drug that can reverse an overdose caused by opioids, including fentanyl, if administered quickly.
Michael Brown, formerly a DEA agent of more than 30 years who now heads counter-narcotics technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices, compared the fentanyl crisis to cancer, stating that the United States is already in an advanced stage.
An effective strategy to combat the international fentanyl trafficking industry should begin with the recognition that the United States lacks good-faith partners in both the Chinese and Mexican governments, according to a recent Heritage report coauthored by Harding.
The CCP has not only been unwilling to address the issue constructively, but has in fact used it as a bargaining chip to force concessions from the U.S. on technology sales, he said.
The Mexican government, meanwhile, appears to be under the profound influence of the cartels, the experts said.
The United States should use its Navy and the Coast Guard to intercept suspicious maritime shipments from China to Mexico before they reach cartel-controlled ports, the Select Committee on CCP report recommended.
The United States could do much more, the experts suggested, even without the cooperation of the CCP.
The United States should use its Navy and the Coast Guard to intercept suspicious maritime shipments from China to Mexico before they reach cartel-controlled ports, the Select Committee on CCP report recommended.
More than 100 “super labs,” operated by cartels in Mexico, produce fentanyl and press it into pills, according to Victor Avila, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with Homeland Security Investigations.
The first step should be to designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, he recommended.
The United States should use its Navy and the Coast Guard to intercept suspicious maritime shipments from China to Mexico before they reach cartel-controlled ports, the Select Committee on CCP report recommended.
The first step should be to designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, he recommended.
Bottom Line
The ongoing 'chemical war' is a significant threat to American society, claiming tens of thousands of lives each year. Despite efforts from the US government, the crisis continues to escalate. The situation calls for a more aggressive approach and international cooperation to tackle the issue at its roots. What are your thoughts on this matter? Feel free to share this article with your friends and discuss it further. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6 pm.
The 'Chemical War' Claiming 70,000 American Lives Annually
The United States is in dire need of increasing its crackdown on the production and trafficking of fentanyl and other lethal synthetic drugs to control the ongoing crisis, according to several experts who spoke to The Epoch Times. As time goes on, the task becomes increasingly difficult due to the growing sophistication of the criminal organizations involved.
More than 100,000 Americans died from overdoses last year, with over 70,000 of these deaths attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, as per estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The US government has invested billions in addiction treatment, but the widespread availability of these drugs makes it difficult for treatment to be effective, according to some experts. They argue that the supply needs to be drastically reduced.
Illegal fentanyl usually enters the US via the southern border from Mexico, where it is produced using chemicals from China and pressed into pills that often resemble prescription drugs like Xanax, Adderall, or oxycodone.
Experts have dismissed attempts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to regulate the export of illicit chemicals as superficial. They argue that the regime is using drugs as a strategic weapon against the United States.
Derek Maltz, former head of special operations at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), said, “This is a chemical war that we’re facing, and no one’s treating it as a war.”
The House Select Committee on the CCP released a report earlier this year detailing China’s involvement in every step of fentanyl trafficking. Chinese companies manufacture the precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, ship these chemicals to Mexico, and supply the pill presses used to create counterfeit pills. Chinese organized crime groups then assist the cartels in laundering and moving the illicit profits from the United States to Mexico.
Both the Trump and Biden administrations have pressured China to impose additional regulations on fentanyl, its analogs, and precursors. However, according to Andrew Harding, a research assistant at the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, these measures “lack teeth” because they do not impose “substantial costs” on illicit producers.
The CCP has claimed to have shut down 14 websites, suspended over 330 business accounts, and closed over 1,000 online shops involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals, according to a senior Biden administration official.
However, the official acknowledged that “there continues to be a significant supply of precursor chemicals out of [China].”
Experts suggest that the time for small steps and engagement has passed due to China’s weak actions that hint at intentional harm.
The Select Committee on CCP found that Beijing was subsidizing illicit chemical exports, providing tax rebates specifically on sales of chemicals that are often not only illegal in China, but lack legitimate use besides making illegal drugs. Some of the rebates were even higher than those offered on any other export products.
The Biden administration, however, has not endorsed this conclusion.
The experts argue that to truly solve the crisis, the United States needs to target every chokepoint along the trafficking chain, and it must be done quickly.
Cartels and other criminal organizations are increasingly trafficking synthetic drugs even more potent than fentanyl, such as xylazine and nitazenes. Xylazine is particularly dangerous as it causes tissue necrosis and its overdose cannot be reversed using naloxone—a drug that can reverse an overdose caused by opioids, including fentanyl, if administered quickly.
Michael Brown, formerly a DEA agent of more than 30 years who now heads counter-narcotics technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices, compared the fentanyl crisis to cancer, stating that the United States is already in an advanced stage.
An effective strategy to combat the international fentanyl trafficking industry should begin with the recognition that the United States lacks good-faith partners in both the Chinese and Mexican governments, according to a recent Heritage report coauthored by Harding.
The CCP has not only been unwilling to address the issue constructively, but has in fact used it as a bargaining chip to force concessions from the U.S. on technology sales, he said.
The Mexican government, meanwhile, appears to be under the profound influence of the cartels, the experts said.
The United States should use its Navy and the Coast Guard to intercept suspicious maritime shipments from China to Mexico before they reach cartel-controlled ports, the Select Committee on CCP report recommended.
The United States could do much more, the experts suggested, even without the cooperation of the CCP.
The United States should use its Navy and the Coast Guard to intercept suspicious maritime shipments from China to Mexico before they reach cartel-controlled ports, the Select Committee on CCP report recommended.
More than 100 “super labs,” operated by cartels in Mexico, produce fentanyl and press it into pills, according to Victor Avila, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with Homeland Security Investigations.
The first step should be to designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, he recommended.
The United States should use its Navy and the Coast Guard to intercept suspicious maritime shipments from China to Mexico before they reach cartel-controlled ports, the Select Committee on CCP report recommended.
The first step should be to designate the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, he recommended.
Bottom Line
The ongoing 'chemical war' is a significant threat to American society, claiming tens of thousands of lives each year. Despite efforts from the US government, the crisis continues to escalate. The situation calls for a more aggressive approach and international cooperation to tackle the issue at its roots. What are your thoughts on this matter? Feel free to share this article with your friends and discuss it further. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6 pm.
