A Chinese official says the United States should not blame China for the widespread use of opioid drugs in America. Yu Haibin of the China National Narcotics Control Commission spoke to reporters last week. He said there is little evidence that China provided much of the chemicals used to produce the powerful drug fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic drug similar to morphine that is prescribed by doctors to block pain. Fentanyl is said to be 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. The U.S. and China have worked together to fight the worldwide flow of illegal man-made drugs. But some issues remain disputed. In November, U.S. President Donald Trump voiced strong concerns about what he called a flood of cheap and deadly fentanyl that is made in China. He said the drug is part of the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history.
