China's agreement expected to slow flow of fentanyl into US, but not solve overdose epidemic
Source: Associated Press
Chinas agreement expected to slow flow of fentanyl into US, but not solve overdose epidemic
BY GEOFF MULVIHILL
Updated 11:27 PM EST, November 16, 2023
Experts say new steps China has agreed to will eventually reduce the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the U.S., but that alone will not stem the overdose crisis killing Americans at a record rate.
President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at a meeting Wednesday in California that China is telling its chemical companies to curtail shipments to Latin America and elsewhere of the materials used to produce fentanyl, which is largely finished in Mexico and then smuggled into the U.S.
China has also resumed sharing information about suspected trafficking with an international database.
Its a step in the right direction because not doing this would be negligent, said Adam Wandt, an associate professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. If this is a diplomatic option that we did not take, every fentanyl death over the next decade would be on our heads.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/biden-xi-fentanyl-agreement-mexico-china-opioids-1fa57facd0dbdac714b616d705952d92