DENVER — President Donald Trump mentioned he desires China to pay for not doing sufficient to deal with the fentanyl disaster.
Trump named it as one of many motivations behind his current tariffs towards China. The president talked about particular issues concerning the nation’s manufacturing of a precursor chemical used to make fentanyl.
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Denver7 tracked the trail of fentanyl from all over the world to the way it reaches Colorado. Drug dependancy specialists and legislation enforcement, together with the DEA, mentioned precursor chemical compounds for fentanyl are sometimes produced in China, shipped to Mexico after which distributed all through the USA.
Whereas the U.S. has strict laws on these chemical compounds, different international locations don’t all the time have the identical guidelines, in line with Dr. Rob Valuck with the Middle for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention on the CU College of Pharmacy.
“DEA is aware of every little thing from manufacturing all the best way out within the U.S., about producing a chemical, turning it right into a pharmaceutical, distributing the pharmaceutical all the best way to the pharmacy,” Dr. Valuck mentioned concerning the U.S. protocol.
As soon as these chemical compounds attain Mexico, Dr. Valuck mentioned cartels typically lace it in cocaine, pretend tablets or promote fentanyl by itself. The DEA mentioned it is seen fentanyl present up within the U.S. by mail, package deal shipments and by air. However the most typical method it arrives in Colorado is by automotive. Highways are vital distribution networks all throughout the county and in Colorado.
“As soon as issues get into Denver,” Dr. Valcuk mentioned. “That opens up all the opposite elements of the higher Midwest to go up into Wyoming and the higher states, or east into Kansas. And so Denver is a strategic level, since you get two totally different distribution factors coming from I-70 and I-25 to Denver.”
That is the place the DEA mentioned brokers typically intercept medication as nicely.
Dr. Valuck mentioned he doesn’t know if tariffs will work on this scenario because it’s not his space of experience. He did say discovering a strategy to successfully reduce off the precursor chemical compounds can be have an effect however that alone wouldn’t be sufficient.
Specialists on this space, together with Valuck, have lengthy mentioned there must be continued and elevated entry to issues like medication-assisted remedy and naloxone to reverse an overdose and create extra resilience. That in flip would affect provide and demand.
“The most effective information from all over the world means that one of the simplest ways to do this is thru resilience and producing in younger individuals much less want to have these substances on the demand facet,” Dr. Valuck mentioned.
Whereas President Trump is placing the stress on China, China in response, mentioned the U.S. must do a greater job of dealing with the disaster internally and mentioned the nation could be very robust on cracking down on narcotics.
Denver7 tracks the trail of fentanyl from all over the world to Colorado
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