Control of illicit drugs needs concerted efforts by the world community

Note: The following article is taken from the Chinese-language "Commentaries on International Affairs".

China's government has decided to add fentanyl-related substances to a supplementary list of controlled narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances starting on May 1. The decision, announced in a joint statement by the Ministry of Public Security, the National Health Commission, and the National Medical Products Administration, reflects the government's clear-cut and firm position on the fight against drug crimes.

The fentanyl-based drug Subsys. [Photo: VCG]

Before Monday's announcement, China had previously included 25 fentanyl analogs and two precursors on its list of controlled substances – more than the 21 listed on the United Nations' control list. Liu Yuejin, deputy director of China's National Narcotic Control Committee, explained that it is a challenge to regulate the production of fentanyl, because criminals have been able to make simple modifications to the drugs by changing one or several atoms or functional groups. The new drug is then not covered by existing legislation, which is the main reason why fentanyl has been difficult to ban. But the new listing means that all fentanyl-like substances will be restricted in China.

Fentanyl is the most widely used synthetic opioid. It's a powerful anesthetic and analgesic drug –up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. In recent years, new street drugs have been developed that combine fentanyl with other drugs. The result has been that the number of fentanyl deaths has rocketed in countries such as the United States and Canada. Data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 18,335 deaths were caused by fentanyl overdose in 2016.

In the United States, drug abuse has become a serious widespread social problem. In October 2017, President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, as it was causing more deaths than gun violence and car accidents.

Washington has pointed the finger of blame at China, claiming that it is the main source of fentanyl-related substances imported into the United States. This argument has been refuted by Beijing. According to Liu Yuejin, the government has busted several cases of illegal processing and trafficking of fentanyl-related substances to the United States. The drugs were concealed in international post parcels, and so the very limited amounts trafficked from China couldn't be the main source of the drugs coming into the United States.

China has closely cooperated with the United States on this issue. For instance, at a meeting on drug control intelligence sharing between China and the United States in October 2017, China provided more than 400 pieces of intelligence regarding the purchase of fentanyl. Law enforcement in China has also been proactive in following up leads provided by American law enforcement.

Most new psychoactive substances, such as the fentanyl-like substances, are developed in laboratories in the United States and Europe. And that's also largely where they are being manufactured and consumed. A combination of factors has led to the abuse of fentanyl-related substances in the United States, and the government there needs to do more to curb domestic demand.

When interviewed by the BBC on this issue last year, John Collins, head of the International Drug Policy Institute at the London School of Economics, said a more comprehensive approach to managing the overdose crisis in the United States is needed. In his view, it is not enough to simply rely on controlling the supply from abroad.

The fact that China's government has placed controls over the whole class of fentanyl-related substances shows that it takes its responsibility to control the spread of drugs of abuse very seriously. But drug control governance requires the concerted efforts of all countries if it is going to be effective.