The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, participated yesterday by videoconference in the meeting of the Global Coalition on Synthetic Drug Threats, organized by the US State Department for the launch of this initiative.
“Today, at the inaugural meeting of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats,” the minister announced via his Twitter account. “Spain is committed to multilateralism and international cooperation to address major challenges, such as protecting health and security,” he added. On June 21, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced in Stockholm before his European counterparts that one of the objectives of the Spanish Presidency of the EU (which began on July 1) is to strengthen police cooperation between the European Union and the United States in the fight against synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl.
The Coalition, launched yesterday in the framework of a virtual ministerial meeting, was created at the initiative of the United States with the aim of bringing together key international actors, governments, intergovernmental organizations, specialized agencies, civil society and the private sector to take concerted action against synthetic drugs on a global scale. The Coalition’s main objectives are to strengthen international coordination and cooperation, reinforce national capacities, promote research and innovation, enhance cooperation with the private sector – especially pharmaceutical companies, research laboratories, technology providers and security companies – and raise awareness and educate through public awareness campaigns.
During the meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called internationally for an end to the manufacture of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl – an opioid used legally as a painkiller but whose illegal use and trade is causing a high number of deaths in the United States – and recalled that this substance is the leading cause of death for adults aged 18-49 in the US and killed 110,000 Americans in 2022, accounting for two-thirds of total drug deaths.
Likewise, Blinken, warned that this is a global problem that requires the exchange of information between governments and the involvement of the private sector, especially chemical manufacturers, transport companies or social networking platforms, since the circulation of these drugs is based on “the pillars of legitimate global trade” and many of them are made with chemicals used legally by pharmaceutical companies, cosmetics companies or manufacturers of household products.
For her part, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, expressed the EU’s support for this coalition and recalled that heroin continues to be the most lethal drug in Europe, despite the fact that in recent times synthetic drugs that are “extremely addictive and too easy to manufacture” have increased dangerously.
