The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on three Chinese men indicted on charges of fentanyl smuggling. Analogues have slightly different chemical makeups, but all are addictive and potentially deadly. It follows President Trump's claim Beijing has failed to prevent the flow of Chinese synthetic opioids to the US. China is facing a growing opioid crisis as its population ages, and it faces an epidemic in which users are turning to heroin or other illicit drugs for relief. More than 28,000 opioid-related overdose deaths occurred in the US in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The US Treasury has imposed sanctions on three Chinese men indicted on charges of fentanyl smuggling. It follows President Trump's claim Beijing has failed to prevent the flow of Chinese synthetic opioids to the US. China is facing a growing opioid crisis as its population ages, and it faces an epidemic in which users are turning to heroin or other illicit drugs for relief. More than 28,000 opioid-related overdose deaths occurred in the US in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.