Fentanyl: China’s ‘Gift’ To America
20,000 fentanyl pills seized at the San Diego border recently.
Note: This first appeared in the Contra Costa GOP District 5’s February newsletter.
By Julie Lynch, GOP District 5 Member and LRWF Board Member
On June 13, 2022, ten members of Congress introduced HR 8030, a bill declaring Fentanyl to be a weapon of mass destruction and requiring the Dept. of Homeland Security to treat it as such. On Sept. 14, 2022, nine state Attorneys General penned a letter to President Biden, urging him to declare Fentanyl a WMD. They argue that Biden’s own DEA has called Fentanyl the deadliest threat it has ever seen, with the ability to cause mass casualty events.
What is this deadly drug that has wreaked so much havoc all over our nation?
Fentanyl is not a new drug. It is a synthetic opioid developed in 1960 by Paul Janssen of Johnson and Johnson fame. Its original purpose was for use in anesthesia or severe pain management. It is similar to morphine but is up to 100 times more potent. Because of these powerful opioid properties, it is often abused. Drug dealers distribute it alongside or mix it with heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamines. Usually, prescription drugs such as Oxycodone are found laced with Fentanyl. It is much cheaper to produce than heroin or cocaine.
One hundred seven thousand three hundred seventy-five people in the U.S. died of drug overdoses in 2021, and 67% involved Fentanyl, according to the CDC. Only 2 mg of Fentanyl can be a lethal dose.
In California, there were 6,843 opioid-related deaths in 2021, with 5,722 related to Fentanyl. Two hundred twenty-four were teens ages 15-19. Ca.gov reports that 28,765 lbs were seized by law enforcement in 2022 with a street value of more than $230 million, enough to kill the entire population of North America twice.
Most Fentanyl originates in Chinese factories which manufacture the opioid precursors and then ship them to other countries for final production. U.S. fentanyl comes primarily from Mexico, smuggled over the southern border.
Fentanyl trafficking and abuse is a growing problem in our area. On May 21, 2021, law enforcement searched drug stash houses in Oakland and San Leandro, seizing 19 kilograms of Fentanyl hidden in fence posts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Seven members of a drug trafficking organization were arrested. This organization had been distributing Fentanyl to San Francisco and most of the Bay Area. During detention, the suspects discussed their plans to flee to Honduras if released.
An overdose occurred at Acalanes High School on Jan. 13, 2023. The school nurse immediately administered Naxolone, an opioid antagonist, according to the Lamorinda Weekly. Bay Area schools are now keeping Naxolone on campus for just such emergencies.
Other mitigating steps have been taken nationwide. Hospital laboratories have added Fentanyl to their urine drugs of abuse panels. First responders and E.R. staff receive specific training for fentanyl cases. University research departments are developing a vaccine for Fentanyl to block it from entering the brain and eliminate its euphoric effects. According to Breitbart News, this vaccine should be ready for market in two years.
But lawmakers and citizens are pondering more significant, troubling questions about this epidemic. Why would China, via Mexico and Central America, want to pump so many deadly drugs into America? Are we, indeed, facing a weapon of mass destruction? The letter to Biden from the Attorneys General states that the amounts of Fentanyl seized are far more than other trafficked drugs and are “indicative of either purposeful conspiracy to murder Americans or an effort to stockpile a dangerous chemical weapon.”
We also know that drug addiction and abuse weaken society in general. Multiple data demonstrate that drug abuse has colossal damaging consequences for families, communities, and society. If an enemy wants to impact an adversary negatively, flooding him with drugs is a great strategy. China is a nefarious player in this crisis.
Solutions? The Bay Area has many mental health and detox clinics and Narcan pens available in the schools. The public is warned to avoid any pills not dispensed by a legitimate pharmacy. But the ultimate solution is to halt the enormous volume of Fentanyl pouring over our southern border. Until we have the political will to put China on notice, secure the border, and bring the total weight of the law on drug smugglers and dealers, the problem will only continue.