Fentanyl overdose deaths have fallen sharply due to a supply shortage, according to a study in Science. The findings point to Chinese regulations on chemical precursors—likely spurred by US diplomacy—as the primary cause of the decline.

For more than a decade, the United States has faced a relentless and heartbreaking increase in fatal drug overdoses driven by synthetic opioids. A new analysis suggests this trend has suddenly reversed due to a major disruption in the global supply chain of illicit fentanyl. Published in Science, the study indicates that regulatory actions taken by the Chinese government, following high-level diplomatic engagement with the Biden administration, may be the primary driver behind this unexpected decline in mortality.

  • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    0·
    8 months ago

    It would have been nice if they had published this before the election. It might have made a difference.

    I kept trying to tell people Biden’s policies were intelligent, but it would take time to see the quantifiable result. It’s hard to cite sources that haven’t been published yet. Science moves too slow to keep up with a four-year electoral cycle.

    And now all this progress will be undone and worse due to anti-intellectualism taking the helm. Typical…