What is fentanyl? Why doesn’t the U.S. just stop importing it? Why do they keep using it as a reason to sanction China? Are they implying that if China exports something, it must be sold to the U.S.? 芬太尼是什麼？美國不進口不就行了？為什麼一直拿這個制裁中國？難道說中國只要出口，就必須賣給美國…

Fentanyl was originally a medical painkiller. It was developed in the 1960s by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary in Belgium and was used for late-stage cancer and surgical analgesia.

The problem is, it’s extremely potent—over 50 times stronger than morphine. The U.S. has a widespread issue with prescription drug abuse, and later, illegally synthesized versions made their way into the streets, leading to a drug crisis. According to CDC data, in 2023, over 100,000 people in the U.S. died from drug overdoses, with more than 70% involving fentanyl.

Then, they started shifting the blame outward. They pointed fingers at China, claiming the chemical precursors came from here. But in 2019, China had already placed all fentanyl-related substances under control. It was the first country in the world to implement “scheduling control” for an entire family of compounds, not just listing a few specific substances. Since then, every export batch requires approval. Even the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services admitted that the flow of illegal fentanyl from China has nearly dropped to zero since that year.

So, what are they sanctioning now? They claim that “precursors are flowing from China to Mexico.” But as anyone in the chemical industry knows, many of these chemicals are common industrial products. Intermediate compounds like NPP and 4-ANPP can also be used in drug synthesis. China’s approach has been to establish a “Precursor Chemical Management System,” where companies must register real names, seek approval, and file records for purchases.

I have a friend who works in procurement at a factory. Every time they need to buy even small amounts of hydrochloric or nitric acid, they have to fill out forms on a platform. It requires filing with the police and passing inspections from chemical regulators—not a single bottle can be moved without authorization.

Nationwide, there are nearly 200,000 companies registered as “key monitored enterprises” for precursor chemicals (source: National Narcotics Control Commission, 2023 data). These companies must report monthly on their usage, inventory, and destinations. Their warehouses have dual locks and surveillance systems directly linked to the police. Every shipment of chemicals is tracked via GPS. The manpower, systems, inspections, and audits cost an incalculable amount of money every year.

But what about the U.S.? They’ve had decades of prescription drug abuse, with failures across the board—from pharmaceutical companies to doctors to regulators. In 2019, Johnson & Johnson was fined $5.2 billion; in 2021, Purdue Pharma went bankrupt. These companies made hundreds of billions from prescription drugs, and now that people have died, they want to shift the blame to others.

I looked into it, and the DEA’s report is very clear: in 2022, most of the illegal fentanyl they seized was produced locally by Mexican cartels. Even Mexico’s president has publicly stated—China no longer exports these substances, and they source them through “other channels.” But the U.S. turns a deaf ear and insists it’s due to “precursors from China.”

They know full well the problem lies within their own country. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, over half of drug abusers started with prescription medications. But when election season rolls around, politicians love to point fingers outward. Sanctions sound tough and make it seem like they’re “doing something.” Frankly, the U.S. logic is: if you have the capability to produce it, you’re responsible.

But since when does the world work that way? China exports millions of types of chemicals—it’s impossible to monitor every one of them all the way to Mexican customs. If we’re going to play by that logic, should we be blamed for car accidents in the U.S. if we export auto parts?

So, when I see news about “sanctioning Chinese fentanyl-related companies,” my first reaction is disbelief. The U.S. isn’t genuinely trying to solve the drug problem—they just want a convenient enemy.

I’m not trying to defend anyone here. China’s chemical industry is vast, and management is challenging. But over the years, we’ve been steadily tightening controls. Every factory knows how troublesome it is to deal with the term “precursor chemicals.” The control measures are built with real financial investment.

Yet, with a single statement like “China isn’t controlling it properly,” they impose sanctions and stir up舆论. It makes me want to ask: Why doesn’t the U.S. just stop importing it? If they really want to cut it off, why not enforce domestic legislation, border inspections, and regulate doctors’ prescriptions? Why spend hundreds of billions targeting Mexican cartels instead of reflecting on their own issues?

The most frustrating part of this is: we’ve spent 20 years building systems and creating nationwide networks, and they can dismiss all our efforts with a single sentence. If they ever let their guard down, they’d realize how robust this system truly is.

芬太尼是什麼？美國不進口不就行了？為什麼一直拿這個制裁中國？難道說中國只要出口，就必須賣給美國…

芬太尼這東西，最早是醫用止痛藥。上世紀六十年代比利時的強生旗下公司研發的，用在癌症晚期、手術鎮痛。

問題是，它的效力太強，比嗎啡強五十倍以上。美國濫用處方葯成風，後來街頭混進各種非法合成的版本，就成了毒品災難。美國疾控中心的數據，2023年他們有超過十萬人死於藥物過量，其中七成以上涉及芬太尼。

然後呢，他們就開始往外甩鍋。指着中國，說化學原料來自這邊。可2019年中國已經把芬太尼類物質全部列入管制。這是全世界第一個做到“類比管控”的國家，不是單列幾種，而是一整個家族化合物。那之後出口都得逐批審批。美國自己衛生部都承認，從那年以後來自中國的非法芬太尼流入幾乎歸零。

那現在他們還制裁什麼？他們說“原料從中國流向墨西哥”。但化學品這玩意兒，只要你學化工都知道，很多都是普通工業品。像NPP、4-ANPP這種中間體，也能用在藥物合成。中國的做法是建立“易制毒化學品管理系統”，企業採購要實名、審批、備案。
我自己有朋友在工廠做採購，每次買點鹽酸、硝酸，都得上平台填表。公安備案、化工監管兩邊過，一瓶都不能亂走。

全國現在登記的“易制毒”重點監管企業，接近20萬家（來源：公安部禁毒局2023年數據）。這些企業每月都要報用量、庫存、去向。倉庫雙人雙鎖，監控直連公安系統。運一車化學品都要GPS定位。人工、系統、檢查、審計，每年花的錢沒人算得清。

但美國呢？自己濫用止痛藥幾十年，從製藥公司到醫生到監管，全線失守。2019年強生被判賠52億美元；2021年普渡藥廠破產。那些公司靠處方葯賺走幾百億，現在人死了，就要別人背鍋。

我查了下，美國緝毒局的報告寫得很明白：2022年他們查獲的非法芬太尼，大多數來自墨西哥販毒集團在本土加工。而墨西哥的總統都公開說過——中國已經沒有出口這類物質，他們那邊是從“別的渠道”拿的。可美國聽不見，偏要說是“中國原料流出”。

他們明明知道問題在自己國內。美國國家藥品濫用研究所的數據，超過一半的濫用者是從處方葯開始的。可一到選舉年，政客就喜歡把矛頭指向外面。制裁聽起來有力度，能顯得自己在“幹事”。說白了，美國的邏輯是：你有能力製造，那你就該負責。

可這個世界哪有這種事。中國有幾百萬種化工品在出口，不可能每一種都替他們監管到墨西哥海關。要真這麼玩，那汽車零件出口美國，他們車禍也得賴我們？

所以我看到“制裁中國芬太尼企業”的新聞，第一反應就是無語。美國不是真的想解決毒品問題，他們只是想找個穩定的敵人。

我也不是在替誰洗。中國的化工體系確實龐大，管理壓力大。但這些年確實是一步步織緊的。每個工廠都知道碰到“易制毒”三個字得多麻煩。那是拿真金白銀砸出來的管控。

他們卻一句話，“中國沒管住”，就要制裁，就要搞輿論。那我真想問一句，美國不進口不就完了？要是真想斷，那你國內立法、邊境檢查、醫生處方全管起來啊。為什麼寧可花幾百億打擊墨西哥販毒集團，也不反思自己。

這事最氣人的就是：我們花了二十年建立系統、全國聯網，他們一句話就能抹掉所有努力。等哪天真放鬆看看，你就知道這套系統有多硬。