The ‘Chemical War’ Killing 70,000 Americans Each Year

The Epoch Times Header

‘People are treating it as a drug issue. It’s not a drug issue. It’s the No. 1 threat to our national security,’ says the former head of DEA special operations.

The United States needs to ramp up enforcement against every step of the manufacturing and trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly synthetic drugs if it hopes to stem the crisis, several experts told The Epoch Times. With every passing day, however, the path to success gets narrower as the criminal organizations involved get more sophisticated.

More than 100,000 Americans died of an overdose last year; of which more than 70,000 overdosed on synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The United States government has poured billions into addiction treatment, but the drugs are too broadly available for the treatment to stick, some experts said, arguing the supply needs to be drastically curbed.

Illicit fentanyl usually comes across the southern border from Mexico where it’s manufactured from chemicals made in China and pressed into pills that often look like prescription drugs such as Xanax, Adderall, or oxycodone.

Steps by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to regulate export of illicit chemicals have been dismissed by the experts as cosmetic. Instead, they say, the regime is using drugs as a strategic weapon against the United States.

“This is a chemical war that we’re facing, and no one’s treating it as a war,” said Derek Maltz, former head of special operations at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

“People are treating it as a drug issue. It’s not a drug issue. It’s the number one threat to our national security,” he told The Epoch Times.

The House Select Committee on the CCP issued a report earlier this year detailing China’s involvement at every step of fentanyl trafficking. Chinese companies produce the precursor chemicals from which fentanyl is prepared. Chinese companies ship the chemicals to Mexico. Chinese-made pill presses allow the production of counterfeit pills. Chinese organized crime groups then help the cartels launder and move the illicit profits from the United States to Mexico.

By Petr Svab

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

Bioterror Roundup: ‘An Apple a Day Keeps the Robot White-Coats Away’

Handing responsibility over to literal AI instead of de facto AI in a human skinsuit removes all morality and human empathy from the equation.

Why Fishermen Are Catching Fewer Lobsters in Maine

For veteran lobsterman Travis Dammier, it was the end of another trip at sea on a solo voyage to earn a living.

Viewers like you

There is no constitutional authority for any spending on public broadcasting – period. Any questions: See Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

Beyond the Trump-Musk fallout?

We are witnessing an unprecedented, unhinged Democrat effort to use lawfare, big Democrat donors, street theater, congressional disruptions, potty-mouth videos, the administrative state, the legacy media, and discredited pollsters to stop the Trump agenda.

Trans-wormal

No worm ever said "I am anthropomorphizing, I am a butterfly" to a toad or flock of geese and expected acknowledgement and support.

News

Why Drug Price Reform Alone Won’t Heal America

What happens when medications become too cheap, plentiful, and automatic and we don’t reform how drugs are used? We risk clinical harm.

Trump Says Musk Will Face ‘Very Serious Consequences’ If He Backs Democrats

President Trump warned that Musk could face “serious consequences” if he decides to back Democratic political candidates in upcoming elections.

Judge Declines to Block Trump Admin From Dismantling Library Services Agency

A federal judge cleared the way for the Trump admin to move forward with plan to dismantle the federal agency that funds libraries nationwide.

Supreme Court to Review Alabama’s Death Row Case Concerning IQ Test

The Supreme Court will consider how courts should weigh multiple IQ tests when assessing a death row defendant’s claim of intellectual disability.

US Travel Ban Will Not Hinder Los Angeles Olympics, LA28 CEO Says

Trump’s directive banning citizens from 12 countries from entering US exempts athletes. Officials confident Games have full backing of administration.

Musk Mulls New Political Party Amid Feud With Trump

Elon Musk is considering launching a new political party in wake of his public fallout with President Trump over a major Republican tax and spending bill.

Citigroup Reverses Course on Controversial Firearm Policies

Citigroup reversed its policy requiring retail business clients to refrain from selling firearms to those who haven’t passed background checks.

AI Is Taking Thousands of Jobs; Is Yours at Risk?

Just as the internet radically changed how America conducts business, AI is also making waves in the workplace by taking thousands of jobs.
spot_img

Related Articles