Pressure mounts for Biden to sanction China over fentanyl crisis in the US.

Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, has been wreaking havoc in the United States, leading to a devastating increase in drug overdose deaths. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is taking action against this crisis by urging the Biden administration to classify fentanyl as a biological and chemical weapon. He is also pushing for sanctions against China, blaming the country for its role in fueling the U.S. drug crisis.

Banks is advocating for an amendment to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991, which would require the president to impose sanctions on foreign entities that knowingly contribute to another country’s stock or use of chemical and biological weapons. This move comes after the House select committee on China, of which Banks is a member, released a report accusing China of exacerbating the fentanyl crisis in the U.S.

The committee’s findings revealed that China’s Communist government provides subsidies to companies that manufacture fentanyl precursors and other synthetic drugs, as long as these products are sold outside of China. This subsidy program has been in place since 2018 and continued even after President Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2023. In fact, the report indicates that China increased these subsidies while engaging in discussions with U.S. officials in 2019 and 2020.

The impact of fentanyl on the U.S. is alarming, with the rate of drug overdose deaths quadrupling from 2002 to 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The highest number of deaths was reported among adults aged 35-44 in 2021 and 2022, painting a grim picture of the crisis.

Authorities in the U.S. have been struggling to combat the influx of fentanyl coming across the U.S.-Mexico border and other channels, often being mixed with other illicit drugs, making them even more lethal. The situation has become dire, with bundles of blue pills containing fentanyl being intercepted at borders.

Nate Moellering, the executive vice president of Allendale Treatment, an addiction treatment center based in Indiana and a fentanyl survivor himself, squarely places the blame on China’s government for the crisis. He points fingers at China for directly contributing to the epidemic.

The call to classify fentanyl as a biological and chemical weapon and impose sanctions on China is a significant step towards addressing the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. It remains to be seen how the Biden administration will respond to these recommendations and what actions will be taken to curb the rising death toll caused by fentanyl overdoses.