Dr. Rahul Gupta Releases Statement on the Launch of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats

Dr. Gupta hosted panel discussion earlier today at Ministerial-level meeting launching the new global coalition 

Washington, D.C. – Today, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Dr. Rahul Gupta issued the following statement regarding the launch of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats. Earlier today, as part of the Ministerial-level meeting to launch the global coalition with more than 80 countries in attendance, Dr. Gupta hosted a panel to discuss the critical importance of detecting emerging threats and use patterns.

“Today’s summit delivers on President Biden’s State of the Union call to urgent action to stop illicit fentanyl. Synthetic drugs are killing people across the globe, straining our public health systems, and emboldening drug producers and traffickers who use their illicit profits to destabilize countries where they operate,” said Dr. Gupta. “The Biden-Harris Administration has made cracking down on dangerous synthetic drugs a top priority – but we know it will take strong and collective global action to address this growing threat. I applaud all countries who are taking part in the launch of the Global Coalition today. We come from every corner of the world, and we all have different versions of this problem, but we all recognize that the world needs a solution and needs one now. I look forward to our work together to make the world a safer and healthier place for all peoples of all nations.”

The Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats will help accelerate efforts against illicit synthetic drugs and employ coordinated approaches to prevent illicit drug manufacturing, detect emerging drug threats, disrupt trafficking, address illicit finance, and respond to public safety and public health impacts. Additionally, this Global Coalition will develop solutions, drive national actions, and create synergies and leverage among like-minded countries who agree that countering illicit synthetic drugs must be a global policy priority.

The Biden-Harris Administration has made addressing global illicit drug trafficking and cracking down on transnational organized crime a key priority in the efforts to beat the overdose epidemic. Over the past two years, the Administration has taken decisive action, including:

• Imposing sanctions on foreign persons for their role in the global illicit drug trade. Through President Biden’s Executive Order on Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated more than 150 individuals and entities for their role in the illicit drug trade, including trafficking fentanyl and precursor chemicals. 81 percent of these sanctions are against the members of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel – the primary suppliers of illicit fentanyl into the United States – and their global network of facilitators, primarily based in the PRC. The Biden-Harris Administration will continue its aggressive efforts to sanction those involved in Mexican and PRC drug trafficking operations — and so far into 2023, sanctions imposed have increased 85% over last year’s total.  
• Regulating “precursor” chemicals used to produce illicit fentanyl. At the request of the United States, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) voted to control three chemicals used by drug traffickers to produce illicit fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is driving overdose deaths in the United States.
• Convening the Third Meeting of the India-U.S. Counternarcotics Working Group. The Narcotics Control Bureau, India (NCB) hosted the third meeting of the India-U.S. Counternarcotics Working Group (CNWG) in New Delhi where India and the United States signed an Amended Letter of Agreement (ALOA) in the field of narcotics control and law enforcement cooperation between both countries. 
• Coordinating a North American public health response. Ministers and Secretaries of Health and Senior Officials from Canada, Mexico, and the United States gathered at the White House for the North American Drug Dialogue (NADD) Public Health Summit to coordinate a trilateral approach to the negative health impact of illicit synthetic drugs use throughout North America.

To support the Administration’s efforts to save lives and disrupt drug trafficking, President Biden has requested a historic $46.1 billion from Congress for national drug control programs. This represents a $5.0 billion increase from the FY2022 request and a $2.3 billion increase over the FY2023 enacted level. The FY2024 budget also includes an increase in funding for efforts to reduce the supply of illicit drugs like fentanyl and combat drug trafficking. It also includes an increase in funding to support the expansion of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services. Taken together, these efforts will strengthen public health and public safety. Read more HERE.

To read President Biden’s National Drug Control Strategy, click HERE.

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