India is acting like a global leader when it comes to addressing the threat of synthetic drugs, said Dr Rahul Gupta, Director of Office of National Drug Control Policy, headquartered in Washington
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Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic opioid primarily used as an analgesic. Since 2018, fentanyl and its analogues have been responsible for most drug overdose deaths in the US, causing over 71,238 deaths in 2021. India and the US share a robust working relationship on addressing the major challenge posed by fentanyl drugs. The Biden administration launched a massive campaign on Thursday to educate young people about the dangers of fentanyl and the life-saving effects of Naloxone, a medicine that reverses opioid-related overdoses.
“India has been very enthusiastic working with the United States to address this (fentanyl problem) because it understands the significance at a global level of leadership,” Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position which is popularly known as Drug Czar. He said India is acting like a global leader when it comes to addressing the threat of synthetic drugs.
“There is a robust working relationship between the United States and India on this because it understands the significance at a global level of leadership,” said Dr Gupta, who is one of the highest-ranking Indian Americans in the Biden administration. “There’s a lot of work going on, including bilateral working relationships around synthetic drugs, and mental health as well as the pharmaceutical arena,” he said.
“We are very excited about that relationship. We’re looking forward to furthering our bilateral relationship and strengthening it because we know that India can and will and is playing the role of a global leader in this area,” Gupta said. The United States and Indian governments are working to make sure that they are both looking at their scheduling regimes, he said.
