China Tells US To Cut Down Opioid Demands To Curb Drug Epidemic

A top Chinese drug enforcement official Thursday said the U.S. should look inwards and cut down the demand for opioid which was the main reason behind the drug crisis in the country instead of blaming China for the quandary.

According to a report by San Francisco Chronicle, Yu Haibin from the China National Narcotics Control Commission said there was little proof that China was the origin for most of the source materials needed to produce the powerful opioid, fentanyl.

“China doesn't deny that shipments to the U.S. happen, but there isn't the proof to show how much — whether it's 20 percent or 80 percent,” Yu said during a press conference Thursday.

He also said that the U.S. authorities provided him with information which stated that only six shipments came from China last year. Yu also said that the U.S. must share more data along with police intelligence with the Chinese authorities.

He went on to say that uncontrolled prescriptions of pain medication and a light attitude toward drugs have resulted in a large demand for opioids in the U.S.

“As many states decriminalize marijuana, the public's attitudes and trends of thinking toward drugs will also have a bad effect,” Yu said.

He also stated that a lack of education regarding drug usage and the legalization of marijuana in some states have also led to the hindrance of law enforcement.

The report further stated that Chinese officials were eager to point out their collaboration with the U.S. in tackling the drug issue. They described this collaboration as a bright spot in a relationship which has been quite shaky.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump blamed China for making a “flood of cheap and deadly” fentanyl which he thought was responsible for the drug epidemic in the U.S.

According to a report published by the New York Times in November, Trump wanted Chinese President Xi Jinping to “do something” about the opioid epidemic. The report stated that the president, during an appearance in Beijing with Jinping, stated that he had raised the issue of fentanyl.

“We’re going to be focusing on it very strongly, the president and myself,” Trump reportedly said at the time.

Trump also stated that the fentanyl from China was being “either shipped into the United States or smuggled across the southern border by drug traffickers.”

However, Chinese drug regulators said they found it quite difficult to regulate the production of drugs because the chemists were able to produce new versions of fentanyl regardless of the Chinese government banning 23 types of fentanyl analogs.

The report also stated that China has strict laws regarding drugs adding that drug traffickers are punished through execution while drug consumption is highly controlled.