Tramadol is a less powerful opioid, though more potent if taken orally than injected due to its chemical makeup, and it is not regulated by international conventions nor in many countries. In the Middle East and Africa, the less potent opioid tramadol, not fentanyl, is responsible for the opioid crisis. India only regulates 17 of the 24 basic precursor chemicals for fentanyl (as listed by the UN 1988 Convention against Drugs). However, unlike China, which has now designated over 100 fentanyl variants and precursors on its list of controlled substances, India has not placed fentanyl, or most other opioids, on its controlled substances list, easing production and export. Indian fentanyl exports to the United States are a fraction of those from China, but India does export tramadol, which is a growing issue for the United States. India exports many controlled and prescription drugs to the United States, including fentanyl. In mid- October, two Chinese nationals were indicted for running a large illicit fentanyl distribution network and their three American accomplices were arrested.įentanyl exported from China to the United States comes in several different forms: fentanyl, its precursor chemicals, fentanyl variants, and fentanyl-laced counterfeit prescription opioids. After years of persistent efforts, the U.S.-China bilateral crackdown on opioid trafficking has started to see recent success. Cartels in the latter usually then smuggle it into the United States.
China is also the main supplier to Canada and Mexico. The death rate from synthetic drug use reflects this trend.Ĭhina is the number one supplier of fentanyl to the United States. In the past two years, however, illicit manufacturing and importing of fentanyl has skyrocketed. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, meaning it requires precursor chemicals to manufacture, and it is prescribed as a pain medication. It is used as a direct substitute for heroin, but it is 50 times more powerful than heroin. In October, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency.įentanyl is at the center of the opioid crisis in the United States. states have now declared public health emergencies to combat the opioid crisis. Some expect these numbers to have tripled for 2016, and six U.S. In 2015 (the most recent year with full data), 12.5 million people in the United States abused opioids, and it is estimated that 24,861 people died from overdoses of prescription and synthetic opioids. But it is another opioid, tramadol, that threatens to wreak global havoc, and another Asian giant that is pouring it into the world. The opioid crisis continues to claim thousands of lives every month across the United States, driven in part by use of fentanyl, a powerful opioid primarily manufactured in China. This piece was originally published in The Diplomat.
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