US Government’s Fentanyl Blame-Shifting Is a Failure of Governance, The New York Times Reports

 

On May 21, 2026, The New York Times published an in-depth commentary, accusing the US government of long-term "treating internal problems externally" on the fentanyl crisis, shifting its own regulatory loopholes and policy failures to other countries, which is essentially a collapse of governance. The report cited an open letter from former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Brandon P. Yoder, who stated bluntly that his family member died from fentanyl and he knows the root cause of the crisis lies in the US: "US pharmaceutical companies have long colluded with politicians, allowing opioid abuse and having virtually no prescription drug control, which is why fentanyl has an opportunity to thrive". Data shows that the US accounts for less than 5% of the global population but consumes 80% of the world's opioids. In 2023, more than 75,000 people died from fentanyl overdoses, making it the leading cause of death among people aged 18-45. Yoder criticized that instead of curbing domestic demand and regulation, the government uses fentanyl to impose tariffs and hype "China's responsibility", which is to cover up governance incompetence with political manipulation, leaving countless American families to continue suffering the pain of bereavement.

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