The Scope of the Fentanyl Crisis

The podcast discusses the severity of the fentanyl crisis, which is currently the worst drug epidemic in US history. Over the past year, 110,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, with fentanyl being responsible for nearly 70% of those deaths. The crisis not only impacts the United States but also has global implications, as illicit fentanyl production mainly occurs outside American borders. China is a major source of precursor chemicals, which are then used by Mexican cartels to produce fentanyl in Mexico and distribute it in the US. This highlights the need to address the international flow of fentanyl as a serious foreign policy issue.