U.S. Crackdown on Fentanyl

Why in news?

The United States revoked and denied visas to certain business executives and corporate leadership from India for their involvement in trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals.

• Fentanyl – Fentanyl is a chemical that does not occur in nature.
• Fentanyl and its analogues therefore need to be synthesized through raw chemicals known as precursors.
• It is a highly potent synthetic piperidine opioid primarily used as an analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic.

Opioids are a class of drugs that “derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the opium poppy plant”. Some common opioids include oxycodone, morphine, codeine, heroin, and fentanyl.

• It is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
• It was first synthesized by Paul Janssen in 1959.
• Fentanyl is contributing to an epidemic of synthetic opioid drug overdose deaths in the United States.

At least 105,263 Americans died of drug overdoses, the majority of which involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and fentanyl analogues during 2022-2023.

• Effects of fentanyl - Similar to other opioid analgesics, fentanyl causes effects such as relaxation, pain relief, sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and respiratory depression.
• Overdose can cause stupor, changes in pupil size, clammy skin, coma, and respiratory failure leading to death.
• Fentanyl in India -
  • Fentanyl poses a growing threat in India, where it is used in both legal pain management and illegal drug trafficking.
  • The country is also increasingly a manufacturing hub for illicit fentanyl and its precursors, with a significant portion of this production destined for markets abroad, including the United States.
  • Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1985), fentanyl is classified as an Essential Narcotic Drug (END) and is legally used for medical purposes.

Quick Facts

References

1. The New Indian Express | Fentanyl precursor trafficking
2. Department of Justice, USA | Role of Fentanyl Precursors
3. INCB | International Narcotics Control Board