'97% Of All Illicit Fentanyl That Arrives In The US Comes From China': Democratic Congressman Sounds Alarm On Lethal Crisis

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) has pointed out a stark contrast between fentanyl-related deaths in China and the U.S., emphasizing China’s involvement in the American fentanyl crisis.

What Happened: On Tuesday, Krishnamoorthi, a member of the Select Committee on the CCP Democrats, expressed his concerns about the fentanyl crisis in the United States during CNBC’s “Last Call.”

“97% of all illicit fentanyl that arrives in the U.S. comes from China,” he said.

Krishnamoorthi underscored the disparity in fentanyl-related fatalities between the two nations, noting that while China reported no deaths, the U.S. suffered over 110,000. He attributed this to the enforcement of drugs in China. While the country has strict legal measures to deal with drug-related crimes internally, Krishnamoorthi said that the authorities turn a blind eye to the companies that export drugs to the U.S.

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Why It Matters: The fentanyl crisis has escalated to alarming levels in the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently seized the largest amount of fentanyl in its history, enough to kill ‘every American.’ This haul included over 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.

Efforts to curb this deadly flow have seen high-level commitments, such as the one between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. They pledged to reduce the flow of precursor chemicals and pill presses from China to the Western Hemisphere.

Moreover, recent research has shown a shift in how fentanyl is consumed, with smoking now preferred over injecting, leading to even more deaths.

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Image via Shutterstock


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Posted In: NewsHealth CarePoliticsGlobalGeneralChinaFentanylPooja RajkumariRaja KrishnamoorthiUS-China Relations
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