As Canada’s opioid crisis continues, new enforcement measures in China could help restrict the flow of deadly substances to our shores.
Driving the news: The U.S. and China are expected to announce a new deal that will see China commit to cracking down on companies that export the chemicals used to make fentanyl — an extremely potent synthetic opioid drug with shockingly high mortality rates.
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The deal is set to be ratified following Joe Biden and Xi Jinping’s meeting taking place today in San Francisco ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Catch-up: In 2019, China brought the hammer down on groups producing and exporting fentanyl, but many targeted by the crackdown just pivoted their business models and began exporting the drug’s component chemicals to cartels in Mexico.
- The new strategy will attempt to stop companies in China from exporting those precursor chemicals to groups involved in the drug trade.
- Last month, the U.S. also sanctioned 25 Chinese individuals and entities (and three Canadian ones) for alleged involvement in fentanyl production and smuggling.
Why it matters: Many experts agree China is the first link in the fentanyl supply chain. Severing it could drastically reduce inflow to places ravaged by the drug, like Canada.
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Over the first third of this year, 81% of suspected opioid deaths involved fentanyl — a 42% increase since 2016 when Public Health first began tracking stats.
- In total, there have been over 38,500 opioid overdose deaths in Canada between 2016 and March 2023.
Yes, but: Enforcing the crackdown could be difficult. Many of the chemicals that are used as the building blocks of fentanyl production aren’t illicit or controlled substances and are also used to make innocuous things like household cleaners and generic prescription drugs.—QH