President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that China would crack down on the production and exporting of fentanyl and the precursor chemicals used to make it, according to media reports.

But while Biden is painting the agreement as a win that will “save lives”, drug policy experts told VICE News they’re skeptical the measure will curb the overdose crisis—and it may make the drug supply worse.

Biden and Xi met Wednesday in San Francisco, where both leaders were in town for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. According to the New York Times, China will go after the exporting of illicit fentanyl into the U.S. and the manufacturing of precursor chemicals, which are being used to make fentanyl and smuggle it into the country from Mexico.

    • TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      I mean clearly there’s systemic issues driving people to seek this stuff, just removing fenty without addressing those means they’ll just seek out other things. Realistically we should be legalizing the safer stuff (psychedelics, MDMA, etc) that isn’t as damaging or addicting and raising living standards to combat the harder stuff but in our current state where weed isn’t even legal federally and it’s all treated the same more or less addicts and ODs on hard drugs are going to be the outcome.

      • SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        I agree with what yr saying but it all makes me think you’ve never tried, whether on purpose or not, fentanyl.

        Fent…makes you absolutely retarded when yr on it, but when you are, you are transported to the warm busom of God til you snap out of it. You don’t care about anything, hunger, cold, any trauma, any worries, any stressors. It all melts away for that short amount of time.

        Besides the physical addiction sending a need as strong as thirst in the desert, that reprieve from pain is addicting all it’s own. A good majority of people actively using and seeking out fent assume they’ll die from it, and they’re fine with that.

        I’ve never been on the ban drugs train, I think the subjective exploration of consciousness and meta-reality are incredibly important for people, be that in personal mental health and growth, artistically and spiritually. At the same time, I think letting Shamans control the flow isn’t a terrible idea, but if implemented should also come with an end date after society comes to terms with itself. I think terminal patients should be given as much DMT as they want for as long as they want it, it’s like making practice runs at the other side. I think ibogaine should be widely available for resetting addictions back to null, but that should prob be a guided trip, same thing with ayehuasca.

        But fent shouldn’t be allowed outside a medical setting. The opioid receptor is devil in a red dress bdance with the devil, devil don’t change, devil changes you.

        In a kinder society we would prescribe meds that turn off pain receptors, like the ones developed from jellyfish and other neurotoxins, but that would prob be stipulated with forced, active restraintnbed rest. We don’t use those now because pain let’s us know when we push too far, otherwise we’d just keep reinjuring ourselves. But fent gives that absence of pain too, and coupled with the i-cant-stress-how-extreme cravings people will look at the work necessary to holistically end their pains and just say, nah man. At the cost of everything. Parents abandoning children. Cuz once their high, they don’t care. So they just plan to stay forever high.

        I’m all for banning fent.

        • TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml
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          10 months ago

          Sorry if I wasn’t clear, I 100% get trying to reduce fentanyl my response was more a complaint that we seem to always do these half measures but yes trying to get fentanyl gone is a good thing. I’ve done many drugs but thankfully never fent.

        • otp@sh.itjust.works
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          10 months ago

          Thanks for writing this up. This is the kind of comment I used to be on the lookout for on Reddit, so this is making Lemmy feel like it’s going to be able to fill that old niche for me.

          Excellent way with words!

    • Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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      10 months ago

      Joe Biden: Cures cancer.

      Media: “How are we going to feed Joe Biden’s surplus population?”