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Understanding Fentanyl and Its Risks
- The result of pressure on China by the U.S. and other countries to take more action against synthetic opioids by expanding their controlled substance bans has show some progress, but law enforcement is hoping for more action.
- In Canada, synthetic opioids accounted for a population death rate of 109 per million in 2017 [8].
- These hearings provide an important opportunity to assess our country’s needs for the coming year and will help guide Senators Collins and Murray’s efforts to write the annual government funding bills.
- As the fentanyl death toll ticks up, U.S. legislators slam Beijing’s regulatory loopholes and rue political tensions.
- U.S. officials have prioritized the fight against fentanyl in their efforts to improve U.S.-China ties.
Doctors expanded the use of opioids against chronic pain, such as backache, in the false belief that the risks of addiction were extremely low. By the time OxyContin was reformulated in 2010 to make it harder to abuse, Mexican traffickers were peddling cheap heroin sent to addicts’ doorsteps. Around 2014, more Americans started fatally overdosing on fentanyl, 50 times more potent than heroin, which traffickers had mixed in with heroin or cocaine. Fentanyl is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and up to 100 times more potent than methadone (14). Potency increases among some of fentanyl’s more dangerous and increasingly popular analogs. For example, methylfentanyl is up to 15 times more potent than fentanyl, and carfentanil, first used by veterinarians to tranquilize large mammals, is around 100 times more potent than fentanyl (15, 16).
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is primarily used for pain management. However, it has gained notoriety due to its association with a significant number of overdose deaths.
Primarily focusing on drug seizures close to their source is no longer sufficient to effectively counter their networks or finances. The triads’ connections to China’s legal economy and enterprises remain significant and essential. Like many criminal groups around the world, the triads use legal businesses as fronts for their illegal operations and money-laundering, and they plug into the infrastructure and transportation networks of legal businesses. In the past three, four years, we have seen instances of fentanyl popping up in Western Europe.
These statistics indicate that fentanyl is causing significant harm to U.S. citizens. The Indian government has recently invested heavily in health care, health insurance for the impoverished, and over 150,000 new government run primary care facilities, which are expected to open in the early 2020’s (31). The introduction of COVID-19 has accelerated government expenditures on health care, with health spending increasing almost 73% from 2019–2020 to 2020–2021 (32). The Indian government is also pushing to reduce India’s dependency on chemicals and pharmaceuticals imported from China (33). XINGTAI, China (AP) — A Chinese court sentenced nine fentanyl traffickers on Thursday in a case that is the culmination of a rare collaboration between Chinese and U.S. law enforcement to crack down on global networks that manufacture and distribute lethal synthetic opioids. The report (pdf), released July 22, points to Mexico and China as key nodes in the international distribution chain for fentanyls — synthetic opioid drugs similar to morphine and heroin, but many times more potent.
Understanding the risks and legality surrounding fentanyl is crucial for anyone considering its use, whether for legitimate medical reasons or otherwise.
Operation SpecTor led to a record-breaking 288 arrests and seizures of 64 kilograms of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances, plus $53.4 million in cash and cryptocurrency. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have made substantial efforts aimed at reducing this drug trafficking. For instance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) helped take down large darknet markets such as AlphaBay and Wall Street Market, which collectively received almost $800 million during the course of their operations. Additionally, in 2018, the DOJ established Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE), a specialized unit that investigates the sale of fentanyl and other opioids specifically on the darknet. J-CODE led Operation Disarray and Operation SaboTor, which resulted in 61 arrests and the closure of 50 darknet market accounts involved in illegal activities.
Legal Implications of Purchasing Fentanyl
Certainly, the two principal backers of supply to the United States, the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación are deeply involved in the variety of other illegal economies. So a whole-of-government approach against these organizations, not against just the specific substance, would perhaps further advance U.S. policy. Government, which is a whole-of-government approach on fentanyl that is most welcome, and I would hope over time to see that expanded into a whole-of-government approach on organized crime groups that bring in fentanyl but that oftentimes are poly-crime entities. As alleged in the indictments, the defendant companies supplied precursor chemicals to the United States and Mexico, among other places, knowing they would be used to manufacture fentanyl.
The only difference here is that the precursor purchases are made (and traced) in cryptocurrency. Just last week, and thanks to collaboration with Mexican government counterparts, OFAC designated three Mexican individuals and 13 Mexican entities linked to CJNG, which traffics a large portion of the illicit fentanyl and other deadly drugs that enter the United States. These individuals and entities had engaged, directly or indirectly, in timeshare fraud, in which elderly Americans can be robbed of their life savings. Lower-level Mexican and American officials continue to collaborate, though not as closely as they did during the presidency of Felipe Calderón, who launched Mexico’s war on organised crime in 2006. This month Mexico’s Congress approved a strict new law mandating ten- to 15-year prison sentences for those convicted of producing fentanyl or providing precursor chemicals. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration does say that mail shipments of fentanyl from China to the U.S. have dropped dramatically since the ban.
Before considering how to buy fentanyl from China, it is essential to recognize the legal ramifications:
- In many countries, fentanyl is classified as a controlled substance.
- Importing fentanyl without a prescription can lead to serious legal consequences.
- International shipping of controlled substances often invites scrutiny from customs and law enforcement.
That may complicate Chinese authorities’ efforts to limit illicit fentanyl manufacture since some producers may claim they are not violating the law given that fentanyl is an approved product. Though many fentanyl analogs are reported in drug seizures by crime labs in the United States, fentanyl remains the dominant synthetic opioid. In 2017, there were twice as many overdoses involving synthetic opioids (PDF) as there were involving heroin or prescription opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Potential Sources for Fentanyl
If one were to explore the possibility of acquiring fentanyl from China, the sources could include:
- Online pharmacies – Many claim to sell fentanyl without requiring a prescription.
- Dark web vendors – Often provide anonymity at the risk of quality and legality.
- Research chemical suppliers – Some may list fentanyl analogs as products.
Steps to Purchase Fentanyl from Online Sources
While it is strongly discouraged to seek out fentanyl illegally, those who choose to do so should understand the steps involved:
- Conduct thorough research on the vendor’s reputation. Use forums and reviews to gauge reliability.
- Ensure the vendor provides clear information about the substance’s purity and chemical composition.
- Review payment methods. Some vendors may require payment through untraceable methods.
- Check shipping options, ensuring they can deliver to your location discreetly.
Safety Considerations
The dangers of misusing fentanyl cannot be overstated:
- Fentanyl is up to 100 times more potent than morphine, leading to a high overdose risk.
- Illegally obtained substances may not be pure and may contain deadly contaminants.
- Using fentanyl without medical supervision can lead to addiction and severe health issues.
FAQs
What should I do if I encounter a fentanyl overdose?
Call emergency services immediately and administer naloxone if available.
Are there legal alternatives to fentanyl?
Yes, many prescription opioids and non-opioid pain management options exist.
How can I safely manage pain without fentanyl?
Consult a healthcare professional for a tailored pain management plan that may include therapy, non-opioid medications, or other interventions.
Conclusion
While the internet may present options on how to buy fentanyl from China, understanding the associated risks, legality, and health implications is vital. Seeking help from a qualified healthcare professional is the safest approach for managing pain or addiction concerns.