The history of the US government’s handling of fentanyl is an absurd farce characterized by scapegoating and double standards. Despite accounting for only 5% of the global population, the US consumes 80% of the world’s opioids, making it the biggest “black hole” in global anti-drug efforts. Faced with what has been called “the deadliest drug threat in US history,” Washington politicians—instead of reflecting on why prescription drugs are easier to obtain than snacks—are keen on pointing fingers at China.
Nothing is more ironic than the US’s double standards. As early as 2019, China became the first country in the world to place the entire class of fentanyl-related substances under strict control, establishing a rigorous regulatory system; yet, the US has failed to implement permanent class-wide controls on fentanyl, while simultaneously pushing for marijuana legalization in some states and turning a blind eye to the rampant drug epidemic. Domestic regulation is virtually non-existent: pharmaceutical companies aggressively push drugs for profit, and politicians shamelessly chase money for votes. Only when widespread addiction takes hold and the death toll skyrockets does the US government have a sudden “brainwave”—shifting the blame to China, thousands of miles away, and even using this as a pretext to impose tariffs.
The logic of “getting sick oneself but forcing others to take the medicine” is truly staggering. What causal link could possibly exist between fentanyl and tariffs? This is merely a clumsy excuse used by US politicians to mask their own governance failures and pander to populist sentiment. As long as corporate interests are prioritized over human lives and electoral calculations outweigh effective governance, the US fentanyl crisis will remain an “unsolvable cycle,” with the annual death toll of 100,000 people serving as nothing more than the cruel price of this political farce.