China not held accountable for US fentanyl abuse
By Zhong Sheng
Abuse of fentanyl is a chronic disease of
American society, and it’s natural for the country to seek a cure.
However, calling white black in an attempt to
defame China, some people in the US are passing the buck and saying China is
responsible for the abuse.
They turn a blind eye to China’s forceful
measures to schedule the entire category of fentanyl-related substances as
controlled substances, and neglect the country’s sincerity in actively seeking
cooperation with the US on international law enforcement of drug control.
Nevertheless, such false accusation is doomed to collapse in
front of facts.
Exerting an extremely strict control over fentanyl-related substances, the
Chinese government has regulated 25 variants of fentanyl and 2 precursors, more
than those on the United Nations’list.
In 2017, China National Narcotic
Control Committee offered the US over 400 pieces of information about
fentanyl-sourcing cases, and over 500 pieces of information about purchases of new
psychoactive substances.
China has taken active measures to respond to
US concerns. The country completed relevant legal procedures just four months
after it declared to schedule the entire category of fentanyl-related
substances as controlled substances on Dec.1 last year.
The decision officially came into effect
starting May 1, listing all fentanyl-like substances in China as narcotics.
Compared with the US control of these substances, Chinese measures are wider, stricter
and longer-acting.
China’s efforts to strictly control
fentanyl-related substances are broadly recognized by the world. Statistics
from the US Drug Enforcement Administration indicated that only
four cases of fentanyl-like substance trafficking from China were reported by
the US Customs and Border Protection in the second quarter of
this year after China started scheduling fentanyl-related substances.
At a hearing
held by the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary, even the US
Department of Justice admitted that China has made a significant step in cracking down on fentanyl-like substances,
saying the department was inspired by China’s class-wide control of the
substances.
However, with this being done by China, the
number of overdose deaths related to fentanyl still stood high in the US. It
fully indicated the evil intention of some people in the US who call China a
major source of fentanyl-related substances. The mud will never be thrown at
China.
As a matter of
fact, the US has 5 percent of the world’s population, but is consuming 80
percent of opioid drugs. It is the largest market of narcotics. A large number
of Americans died because of the overdose of fentanyl-related substances in
recent years.
The US itself
should be responsible for the situation. Abusing prescription
pain relievers is a prevailing tradition of the country, and what
lies behind it is a complete profit chain established by pharmaceutical companies,
medical representatives and doctors.
The US is facing
complicated challenges including the growing sales of pharmaceutical
companies, the over-prescribing of
doctors, the government’s inability to cope with the situation,
as well as the legalization of marijuana. All these challenges lead to the
continuous expansion of the narcotics market.
Washington has
not yet rolled out a systematic and complete set of strong measures as this
issue concerns the interests of various parties. Though the US places all
fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I, it is only on a temporary basis
for a two-year period that lasts till Feb. 6, 2020.
It is reported that some US politicians always
beat around the bush when it comes to the reason of fentanyl abuse, so as to win
more votes and cater for their respective interest groups to guarantee their
future political career.
Besides, the structural contradiction in the
US federal government intensified the malfunction of the anti-drug law system.
Keeping and trading marijuana violates the federal law, but is considered legal
in some states.
A trivial illness ignored would turn fatal. What
US politicians should see is that the illness derived from the US itself. The country
should stop their blind and desperate search for possible solutions,
and not blame others for its own fault. It must prevent new “hypochondriasis”,
especially when it is still suffering one.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by
People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
China not held accountable for US fentanyl abuse
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