In the last years, opioids, specifically fentanyl, have created the worst drug crisis in the history of the United States, which could be a key issue in this elections.
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00:00the country, and fentanyl and other opioids are fueling the worst drug crisis in the history
00:07of the United States. This has been in the media. More than 1,500 US citizens are dying every week
00:15from taking some type of opioid, making this drug by far the leading cause of fatal overdoses in the
00:21country. In recent years, the crisis has become defined by illicit fentanyl, an extremely lethal
00:27synthetic opioid. Let's see some material and we'll continue talking.
00:33Mass fentanyl in the US is smuggled across the Mexico border, often transported in vehicles
00:40or by individuals carrying small concealable amounts due to its high potency. The average
00:47weight of size fentanyl is 1.2 kilograms, which can contain over 50,000 lethal doses.
00:56By December 2023, at least 12,245 kilograms have been intercepted at the southern US border that
01:05year. Overdoses involving synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, are the leading cause
01:10of death for the US adults aged 18 to 45. In 2021, fatalities surged to 80,411,
01:18surpassing US military deaths in past 9-11 conflicts. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified
01:25the opioid crisis, disrupting supply chains and pushing individuals toward unfamiliar drugs.
01:31Social distancing leads to more solitary drug use, increasing overdose risk.
01:37Additionally, the proliferation of illicit fentanyl, often disguised as a legal prescription
01:43opioids by drug cartels, has further worsened the situation. The opioid epidemic is significantly
01:50impacting the US economy, with estimates from the US Congress Joint Economic Committee
01:56indicating its cost nearly $1.5 trillion in 2020, accounting for 7% of that year's GDP,
02:07an increase of about one-third since 2017. This cost is projected to rise with increasing fatal
02:15doses. Between 2008 and 2021, the US provided Mexico with approximately US$3.5 billion in
02:24security and concerned COVID aids, including military aircraft and surveillance softwares.
02:30President Joe Biden has prioritized the fentanyl crisis as both a domestic and foreign policy issue
02:36despite rising overdose deaths during his administration. In late 2021, he declared
02:43scientific opioid trafficking a national emergency and signed executive orders to
02:48sanction those involved in fentanyl production. By late 2023, the US sanctioned 25 China-based
02:56entities linked to fentanyl-precursor chemicals and added China to the list of major illicit
03:03drug production and transit countries, alongside 22 others, including Colombia, India, and Mexico.
03:10And after this material, let's see and let's