U.S. and China Find Common Ground to Curb Opioid Epidemic

At the recent G20 Summit, the United States and China found common ground to take stronger steps to keep illegal fentanyl from entering our country.

According to the Trump administration, the opioid would be designated a controlled substance in China and people exporting fentanyl illegally to the United States or other countries from China would be subject to China’s maximum penalty under the law. Americans of all political persuasions should applaud this important step in the right direction and commend the administration for its work to help curb our nation’s opioid epidemic.

The opioid crisis continues to wreak havoc in the United States impacting every region in the country. The epidemic has become a significant national public-health emergency with myriad adverse social and economic-welfare implications for all Americans. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) latest Economic Survey of United States:

“An important consequence of opioid addiction is the negative impact on the U.S. economy in the form of lost wages and productivity resulting from death, incarceration and decreased productivity. Estimates suggest that this could amount to around $40 billion annually.”

According to the OECD Economic Survey, opioid use and opioid-related death rates appear to be considerably higher in the U.S. than in other OECD countries. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States, with more than 72,000 in 2017 alone. The recent sharp increase in these deaths was fueled by a surge in overdoses involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. Fentanyl can be up to 100 times more potent than morphine and must be carefully regulated because its abuse often can be fatal.

China is one of the world’s top producers of the chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Justice have long asked for China’s cooperation in stemming the flow of illicit fentanyl from China to the United States and many other countries for use in the production of illegal drugs. That is why the President Trump’s progress on asking China’s President Xi to designate fentanyl as a controlled substance is such a strong step.

It is clear that no single approach or solution will overcome the opioid crisis. That requires a multipronged approach that cares for the addicted, changes prescribing patterns, and stems the tide of illicit importation of substances such as fentanyl.

This fall, President Trump signed into law the sweeping and bipartisan SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which, in part, aims to expand opioid treatment and recovery initiatives, improve prevention, and fight illicit synthetic drugs including fentanyl. He has now built on the achievement of that legislation by gaining the agreement of President Xi to collaborate in preventing the illegal exportation of fentanyl.

These steps taken by Congress and the administration show that addressing the opioid crisis has been at the forefront of our national policy agenda, and it should remain there. Let us continue the fight for our family members, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens affected by this national epidemic.

Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, is president and CEO of St. Louis-based Ascension, a leading Catholic healthcare system.