{"id":2176807,"date":"2024-02-15T05:11:04","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T10:11:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-drug-czar-claims-fentanyl-epidemic-has-slowed-despite-gop-making-progress-difficult\/"},"modified":"2024-02-15T05:20:45","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T10:20:45","slug":"biden-drug-czar-claims-fentanyl-epidemic-has-slowed-despite-gop-making-progress-difficult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-drug-czar-claims-fentanyl-epidemic-has-slowed-despite-gop-making-progress-difficult\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden&#8217;s drug czar says fentanyl crisis &#8216;slowed&#8217; despite GOP hindrance"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-drug-czar-claims-fentanyl-epidemic-has-slowed-despite-gop-making-progress-difficult%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2176807&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Dr. Rahul Gupta: Biden Administration \u2064Making Strides in Fentanyl \u2062Crisis, but More Work Needed<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>EXCLUSIVE \u2014 Dr. Rahul \u2062Gupta, the director of the White House Office of National\u200b Drug Control Policy, believes the Biden administration is substantively changing the course of the nation\u2019s fentanyl crisis but cautioned that more must be done \u200cto address international supply and domestic addiction before declaring victory over the epidemic.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Gupta, the first medical doctor to lead ONDCP since its creation in 1988, spent roughly a decade combating the opioid crisis in West Virginia, leading the Kanawha-Charleston Department of Health from 2009-2014 before serving as the director of\u2062 the state\u2019s Bureau for Public Health from 2015-2018.<\/p>\n<p>He sat \u2063down for a \u200clengthy interview with the Washington Examiner on the subject \u2064and \u2063explained why ending the crisis is a much more \u2063complicated problem \u200bthan some \u200blawmakers, and even other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/record-number-of-americans-died-from-drug-overdoses-in-2021-cdc-data-show\/\" title=\"Record Number Of Americans Died From Drug Overdoses in 2021, CDC Data Show\">drug policy experts<\/a>, have claimed for \u2062the better part of the past decade.<\/p>\n<p>In short, Biden\u2019s policies, specifically making lifesaving overdose treatments readily \u2062available, have flattened the exponential rate at which people are being killed by fentanyl. But he indicated that only \u2062a \u200cprolonged commitment to addressing the problem both internationally\u2063 and domestically, which would require buy-in from Republicans to install new legislative fixes, will result in an overall decrease in yearly fentanyl overdoses.<\/p>\n<p>Gupta did express some apprehension to the Washington Examiner about the current politicization of the fentanyl crisis, particularly as it relates to\u200d conversations surrounding border security or immigration reform. \u200bAn overwhelming majority, roughly 90% in total, of all fentanyl flows into the country through legal ports of entry, not at illegal \u200bcrossings where human smugglers are helping immigrants illicitly enter the country,\u2064 and Gupta \u2062believes that some, but not all, Republicans are doing a \u201cdisservice\u201d to the public by conflating immigration reform with the fentanyl crisis.<\/p>\n<h3>\u201cThe problem doesn\u2019t begin or\u2064 end at \u2064the border,\u201d he stated simply.<\/h3>\n<p>At\u2062 this point, a decade into\u2064 an already widening epidemic that exponentially worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly 75,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-imposes-harsher-punishment-for-fentanyl-possession\/\" title=\"California toughens penalties for fentanyl possession.\">000 fentanyl overdose deaths occur<\/a> in the United States each year, making up almost three-fourths of\u200d the country\u2019s total overdose deaths. \u200bGupta told the\u2064 Washington Examiner that domestic addiction \u2063levels, coupled with a highly mutable, profit-driven <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-national-sentenced-for-aiding-drug-traffickers\/\" title=\"Chinese National Sentenced for Aiding Drug Traffickers\">global drug trade<\/a>, make it impossible to drive those numbers down\u200d to zero in the short term. Still, Gupta \u2063counts\u200c every life saved from an overdose\u2063 as \u2062a success\u2063 story, \u200dand he\u2019s\u2064 confident that Biden\u2019s policies will help the country continue down the path to recovery.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo \u200bme, every \u2063life is precious and worth saving, and \u2062I\u200d akin this to, epidemiologically, a large ship going fast in the wrong direction,\u201d he stated. \u201cFirst, \u2062you\u2019ve got to stop it, and you\u2019ve got to turn it around. We\u2019ve \u200dgotten to\u200c a point now where we have slowed it\u2064 down, and we are \u2062stopping, and now we\u2019ve got to turn this around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Recent data would appear to back up Gupta\u2019s claims. Fentanyl overdose\u200d deaths have increased every year since 2014. When\u200b Biden came into office in January 2021, the overdose death rate was growing by more than 31% year \u200bover year, with \u2062the\u200d White\u200c House projecting that yearly \u2064fentanyl overdoses would exceed 165,000 by 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Yet by the\u200d summer \u2062of 2023, the last period in which total overdose death statistics have\u200b been\u2062 fully calculated, that \u200cyearly change had fallen back to\u2064 2.8%, the lowest\u2064 rate increase in a decade. Gupta insists that doubling down on the\u200b president\u2019s policies\u200c targeting the crisis has saved an estimated\u200c 30,000 lives \u200bover the past two years and could\u2063 potentially \u200bhalve the administration\u2019s projected overdose deaths by 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Gupta also\u2062 says \u2062that\u2062 the Biden administration is approaching fentanyl policy in \u2062a fundamentally different way than both the Trump and Obama administrations. Rather than simply trying to \u201ccatch drugs\u201d being transported into the country, the \u2063administration is treating fentanyl as a global \u201cillicit commerce\u201d operation, requiring\u2062 an international coalition that targets cartels, freelance producers, and a sprawling web of \u201cenablers\u201d \u2014 including financiers, shippers, lawyers, accountants, wealth \u200cmanagers, and even real estate \u2063agents \u2014 all connected to the transnational <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-destructive-consequences-of-bidens-border-crisis\/\" title=\"Biden's border crisis has destructive consequences.\">fentanyl supply chain<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Upon Gupta\u2019s recommendation, Biden has also taken direct steps at home to prioritize recovery and treatment options for fentanyl users. \u200dThat includes putting millions \u200bof doses of Naloxone, Narcan, and other emergency overdose treatments into\u200c circulation, which Gupta estimates has prevented around 26,500 overdose deaths. Furthermore, Biden eliminated the \u201cX Waiver,\u201d an impediment to the prescription of the opioid use disorder\u2064 treatment buprenorphine, which Gupta says helps de-stigmatize the process and will help more rapidly transition recovering users back into society and \u200cthe workforce.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2021, 144 countries have signed on to Biden\u2019s global fentanyl initiative, known as the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats,\u200b and Gupta claims that Biden and top administration officials \u200dhave effectively communicated to foreign \u200bleaders that \u201cthe world is divided up into three types of countries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne, like the United\u2064 States, where you\u2019ve got a problem, and \u2062you know\u2063 about it, like fentanyl and meth. Another set of countries who have a problem and just \u2064don\u2019t know about it,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd then the third group \u200dof countries, they are going to have a problem in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese cartels, these criminal, transnational criminal\u200b organizations, and\u200d all these drug trafficking organizations, there\u2019s money to be \u200bmade, and they\u2019re \u2063not stopping at America\u2019s borders. They\u2019re going \u2064to go everywhere. They want to co-op the remote networks \u2062there, and they\u2019re going to expand the trade. \u2064It\u2019s all for money,\u201d Gupta continued.<\/p>\n<p>One country that notably has \u200cnot signed onto the Global Coalition is China, yet Biden\u2019s escalating sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals have brought Beijing back to\u2062 the negotiating table. Since \u20622021,\u2064 Biden has sanctioned 152\u200c individuals and \u2064112 entities over their connections to fentanyl\u2064 production and trafficking,\u2062 and\u200c in November 2023, Biden and \u2063Chinese President Xi \u2063Jinping entered into\u200b a new handshake agreement to target \u200dthe synthetic drug. That\u200c framework includes increased information \u200dand intelligence sharing and a \u200bpromise from Beijing to shut down\u2064 companies supplying Mexican cartels with fentanyl precursors and production equipment.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of Mexico, Gupta is pleased with how President\u2064 Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has responded to overtures from \u200dthe\u200d administration to address the\u2063 drug trade\u2064 despite historic roadblocks within\u2064 that country, be they government corruption or the very presence of the cartels\u200b themselves.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf \u200che\u2019s cooperating, it\u2019s not out of fear. It\u2019s out of protecting its own citizens; it\u2019s out of making sure that law enforcement and rule of law prevails in Mexico to the extent he can and hold\u200d bad actors accountable,\u201d he expressed.\u2063 Gupta noted that cooperation and intelligence sharing between the United States and Mexico has led to \u2062the\u2063 arrest of top members of the Sinaloa cartel and other drug trafficking organizations over the past two years. That list includes Ovidio Guzman Lopez, a son of former Sinaloa boss Joaquin \u201cEl Chapo\u201d Guzman, Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, Alejandro Silva Delgado, Ismael Quintero Arellanes, Jose Guadalupe\u2063 Tapia Quintero, and Rafael Caro Quintero.<\/p>\n<p>When it\u2064 comes to the fraught border security negotiations\u200c between the \u200bBiden administration and certain GOP lawmakers, Gupta did not discount \u2063calls\u200b to reform the immigration system but said, \u201cWithout going into names,\u201d not all Republicans understand \u2063\u201cthe difference between the challenge of immigration and the challenge of drugs, which are two separate issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He criticized calls from some Republicans, like former\u200c President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, to take direct military action \u2063on\u200d Mexican soil\u200c in\u200d an\u200b effort to \u2063slow the \u200bflow of fentanyl into the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose threats of invasion do just the opposite. That\u2019s how much more difficult \u200bit makes our work. \u2062It doesn\u2019t\u200d make it easy; it \u2062makes it more difficult \u2063because \u2064today, we\u2019re in a world where these types of talks just don\u2019t work. They just don\u2019t,\u201d he told the Washington Examiner. \u201cWe\u2019re pushing them every single day, \u2064don\u2019t get\u2064 me wrong about \u200dthat, but the fact is that we need a cooperative, accountable Mexico government in order to keep Americans safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook,\u200c I come from local and state [government]. I come \u2063from nonprofit, corporate academia,\u201d Gupta concluded. \u201cI look at this as you\u2019ve got to at least tell the truth to the American people and let them decide for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, Republican lawmakers,\u200d by and large, do not appear to believe the Biden administration\u2019s claims that their current policies are\u200b sufficiently addressing this national epidemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny government official denying the\u2063 correlation between the \u2064security crisis at our southern border and the record-high influx of\u200b life-ending fentanyl into our country \u200cis divorced from reality,\u201d Rep.\u200c August Pfluger (R-TX) told the Washington Examiner.\u201d This administration could fix the fentanyl \u200ccrisis and \u2062the immigration \u200bcrisis with a secure border.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) said Gupta must be \u2063honest with the public about the seriousness of the situation at the border.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Border Patrol reports recovering 480 pounds of fentanyl so far in fiscal year 2024, enough to kill more than 106 million people,\u201d she said in a\u2064 statement. \u201cThat\u200d amount seized is just a drop in the bucket. \u2062In no way\u2062 is that \u2018turning the tide.\u2019 We have to \u2062be honest about the amount of fentanyl crossing our southern \u2062border and\u2063 ending up in communities from Maine to Oregon and everywhere in between. Director Gupta may say we are turning the tide, \u200dbut not being honest about the situation only hurts the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Staffers\u200b for Rep. Michael \u2063McCaul (R-TX), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs \u200bCommittee, explained to the Washington Examiner that their boss \u200cis \u201cacutely aware\u201d of the transnational nature\u2063 of \u200bthe fentanyl trade and pointed to legislation McCaul has sponsored that aims\u2064 to disrupt the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/live-2-pm-et-house-trade-subcommittee-hearing-on-reforming-gsp-to-protect-us-supply-chains-and-combat-china\/\" title=\"LIVE NOW: House Trade Subcommittee Hearing on GSP Reform to Safeguard US Supply Chains &#038; Counter China\">global\u200b supply chain<\/a>. They also say McCaul\u2064 does not support calls from other \u200cRepublicans to conduct\u2062 military actions targeting the cartels.<\/p>\n<p>Still, they indicated \u200cthat he believes that\u2064 the Biden administration\u2019s border policies, and\u2063 even recently\u2064 impeached Department\u2062 of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas himself, do bear some responsibility for\u2064 fentanyl-related \u200cdeaths\u200b in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>CLICK HERE TO READ \u2063MORE FROM\u200c THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSecretary Mayorkas and President Biden would like the fentanyl and border crises discussed separately to improve their odds at partial credit \u2064as we approach election season. Americans know better: The Biden administration\u2019s open border policies have empowered the cartels\u2019 criminal enterprise along our porous southern\u200d border, where \u200bfentanyl, produced in China and shipped to Mexico, seeps into the U.S. and kills 200 \u2062Americans each day,\u201d McCaul himself told the Washington Examiner.<\/p>\n<p>And Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for \u200bthe Republican National \u200dCommittee, told \u2063the Washington Examiner that \u201cJoe Biden\u2019s open border is enabling the fentanyl crisis that\u2019s killing tens of thousands of \u200bAmericans each year, and it\u2019s made communities across the country less safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How does Dr. Rahul Gupta suggest addressing the fentanyl crisis comprehensively?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ill approximately 109 million people. These numbers are staggering and highlight the urgent\u2063 need for action. While the Biden administration has taken steps to \u200caddress the fentanyl \u2063crisis, more work is still needed.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of the White\u2064 House Office of National Drug Control Policy, \u200backnowledges the progress made by the Biden administration in\u2064 tackling the fentanyl crisis. However, he\u2063 emphasizes the complexity of the problem and the need for a comprehensive approach\u2063 to\u200d effectively address the issue.<\/p>\n<p>Gupta&#8217;s experience in combating the opioid crisis in West Virginia \u2062has provided him with first-hand knowledge of the challenges involved. In\u2064 his interview with the Washington Examiner, he explains that ending the crisis requires \u2064not only making overdose treatments readily available \u200bbut also addressing international supply and domestic addiction.<\/p>\n<p>One of the key \u200cissues Gupta highlights is \u200dthe politicization of the fentanyl crisis, particularly in relation to conversations about border security and immigration reform. He emphasizes that the problem extends beyond the border and that the majority of fentanyl flows into the country through legal ports of entry. Gupta believes that conflating \u2063immigration reform with the fentanyl crisis does \u2062a disservice to the public and detracts from\u200b the real issues at hand.<\/p>\n<p>The statistics regarding fentanyl overdose deaths in the United States are \u2062alarming. Approximately 75,000 deaths occur each year, making up three-fourths of the country&#8217;s total overdose deaths. Gupta acknowledges the difficulty of driving \u200bthese numbers down to zero in the short term, given the \u200clevels of domestic \u200daddiction and the global drug trade. Nonetheless, he considers\u2062 every life saved from an overdose a success story and is\u200c confident that\u200c Biden&#8217;s\u200d policies will help the country move towards recovery.<\/p>\n<p>Recent\u200d data supports Gupta&#8217;s claims of progress. Fentanyl overdose deaths have \u200dbeen increasing since 2014, but the rate of increase has significantly slowed down under\u200d the Biden administration. Gupta estimates that Biden&#8217;s policies \u2064have saved around 30,000 lives over the past two years\u200d and could potentially halve the \u2064projected \u200coverdose deaths by 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Gupta also\u200c emphasizes the Biden administration\u2019s approach to fentanyl policy, which differs\u2063 from\u2062 previous administrations. Rather than\u2062 focusing solely on intercepting drugs at the border, the administration treats fentanyl as a global illicit commerce operation. This approach requires an international coalition to target cartels and the various entities involved in \u2064the fentanyl supply chain.<\/p>\n<p>At home, the Biden administration has prioritized recovery and treatment options \u200cfor fentanyl users. The distribution of overdose treatments such as Naloxone and the removal \u2063of barriers to the prescription\u2064 of buprenorphine have been \u200ckey steps taken by the administration.<\/p>\n<p>Biden&#8217;s global fentanyl initiative, the\u200d Global Coalition to Address \u2064Synthetic Drug Threats, has received support from 144 countries. However, China has not signed onto the coalition. Through sanctions and negotiations, the Biden administration has brought China back \u2064to the table, \u200bwith the \u2064aim of curbing\u2062 fentanyl production and trafficking.<\/p>\n<p>Gupta praises the cooperation between the United States\u200b and Mexico in addressing the drug trade, despite the \u2064challenges faced by Mexico. He emphasizes the\u2062 need for a cooperative, accountable Mexican government to ensure the safety of Americans.<\/p>\n<p>While the Biden administration&#8217;s efforts are \u2064commendable,\u2064 Republican \u200blawmakers express concerns about the efficacy of the current\u2063 policies. They believe there is \u2062a correlation between the security crisis at the southern border and \u200cthe influx of fentanyl into the country. They argue that securing the border is \u200dessential to address both\u200c the fentanyl crisis and immigration issues.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion,\u2062 Dr.\u200d Rahul Gupta acknowledges the progress made by the Biden administration in tackling the fentanyl crisis but stresses the need for ongoing efforts to address \u200dinternational \u2062supply \u200band domestic addiction. While challenges remain, Gupta is \u2064optimistic\u2064 about the impact of Biden&#8217;s policies and emphasizes the importance of transparency in informing the American public about the \u200csituation. The fentanyl crisis requires a comprehensive approach, involving cooperation at both\u200d national and international levels, to effectively combat this deadly\u200b epidemic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To hold the position, stated that while progress has been made, there is still work to be done in tackling the fentanyl crisis. He emphasized the need to address both the international supply and domestic addiction issues before claiming success. Gupta&#8217;s insights shed light on the Biden administration&#8217;s efforts to combat the epidemic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2645,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2176807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2176807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2645"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2176807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2176807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2176807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2176807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2176807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}