New Regulations on Fentanyl in China to Help U.S. Curb Opioid Crisis

NPR reports that beginning on May 1, 2019, China will institute regulations to treat all fentanyl-related drugs as controlled substances—an effort intended to cut the supply of a drug that significantly contributes to the opioid crisis in the United States. NPR’s news update explains the issue:

“Authorities in China already regulate 25 variants of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid linked to thousands of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. But some manufacturers in China, seeking to evade controls, have introduced slight changes to the molecular structure of their drugs, giving them the legal loophole to manufacture and export before the government can assess the products for safety and medical use”.

This decision comes after an earlier discussion between President Xi Jinping and President Trump that occurred in December 2018, after which President Trump tweeted In favour of China implementing the death penalty for fentanyl distributors and pushers.

Read the full article from NPR here, or search our directory to find providers of opioid addiction treatment throughout the United States.