The United States will present a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly later this year calling on the international community to combat trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic drugsannounced Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

Joe Biden’s Government will also appoint a special envoy for issues dedicated to combating fentanyl and will work with technology companies to pursue online sales of that substanceadded the head of US diplomacy.

Blinken made this announcement at an event with representatives of a hundred countries that form the global coalition to combat synthetic drugs led by the United States and who met in New York on the occasion of the High Level Week of the General Assembly of the ONU.

The Secretary of State explained that fentanyl overdose is the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 49 and warned that this phenomenon is expanding throughout the world. He gave as examples the increase in trafficking and consumption of tamadol in Africa, of Captagon in the Middle East, ketamine in Asia, as well as recent seizures of synthetic drugs in the European Union and Australia.

“There is no issue that requires international cooperation as urgently as this one. But I am convinced that If we work together, we can save lives“said Blinken. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin and which, according to Washington, is manufactured by Mexican cartels using chemicals purchased in China and then trafficked in the United States, where more than two people died last year. 70,000 people for this substance.

The United States has redoubled pressure on Mexico to combat the cartels and has asked China to control the chemical precursors of fentanyl. The Asian giant, which has denied responsibility for the fentanyl crisis, was added last week to the blacklist drawn up by the United States of major drug producers and traffickers.