美国国务院
华盛顿特区
2023年7月7日
 
布林肯国务卿：非常感谢大家。各位同仁，我代表拜登总统欢迎大家。欢迎参加全球应对合成麻醉品威胁联盟（Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats）的启动仪式。我们对80多个国家的高层政府官员以及10多个地区和国际组织领导人的加入深表感谢（听不清）。
 
我们在美国感受到这一威胁的紧迫性。合成麻醉品是美国18至49岁人口的头号杀手。这个事实足以让我们驻足三思。合成麻醉品，尤其是芬太尼，是美国18至49岁人口的头号杀手。去年，将近11万名美国人因使用毒品过量而死亡，其中三分之二涉及合成阿片类药物。对于受影响的个人、家庭和社区来说，这类死亡以及数百万人因药物滥用而遭受的痛苦是无法估量的。这也造成了巨大的经济损失——根据我国国会的一份报告，仅2020年美国的经济损失就接近1.5万亿美元；我们的公共卫生系统和刑事司法系统都在为此承担后果。
 
这就是为什么拜登总统将解决美国这场肆虐的危机的两个关键因素——未经治疗的药瘾和毒品贩运——作为我们的一项首要任务。2022年，本届政府发布了《国家药物管制战略》（National Drug Control Strategy），美国首次采纳减少危害的努力，实地满足人们的需求，并让他们接受照护和服务。美国远非唯一面临这一挑战的国家。根据联合国的数据，全球每年有3千4百多万人使用甲基苯丙胺或其他合成兴奋剂。每个地区都在经历令人担忧的其他合成麻醉品的增多。在非洲泛滥的是曲马多（tramadol），中东是假冒的芬乃他林（Captagon） 药片，亚洲则是氯胺酮（Ketamine）。
 
我们今天汇聚一堂的主要原因之一是，我们认为在芬太尼问题上，美国是“矿井里报警的金丝雀”（canary in the coal mine）。芬太尼是一种极易上瘾且致命的合成药物。在美国市场饱和后，跨国犯罪组织开始转向其他地方来扩大利润。如果我们不立即采取紧急的共同行动，世界各地更多的社区将承受像已遭受影响的美国众多城镇一样的灾难性代价。
 
贩运合成麻醉品的犯罪组织极其狡猾地利用我们相互关联的全球系统中的薄弱环节。当一个国家严格限制前体化学原料时，贩运分子就会从其他地方购买。当一个国家关闭过境路线时，贩运分子就会迅速转移到另一个国家。任何国家都无法单独解决这个问题。这就是为什么我们创建这个全球联盟的原因。
 
我们重点关注三个关键领域：第一，阻止合成麻醉品的非法制造和贩运；其次，发现新出现的威胁和使用模式；第三，推动公共卫生干预和服务，以预防和减少毒品的使用，来挽救生命，并支持此类药物的使用者进行康复治疗。
 
当然，我们并非从零开始。多年来，各国政府、地区和国际组织、医卫工作者和社区一直在针对这些重点要务提出创新性解决方案。西半球国家正在与美洲国家组织（Organization of American States）合作，开发及实施预警系统，以发现新出现的合成麻醉品使用情况。
 
由欧洲国家首创的纳洛酮（naloxone）自检试剂盒，已被中亚和其他地区的国家采用。国际麻醉品管制局（International Narcotics Control Board）正在推动有关前体化学原料贩运的情报共享，协助各国在截获和起诉方面进行合作。这个联盟——这个联盟的目的是在这些和其他重要工作的基础上再接再厉，而不是取代这些工作，其中包括在美国的工作，这些都是我们共同的经验教训。
 
我只举一个例子。今年4月，我们在科罗拉多州丹佛市举办了首届美洲城市峰会（City Summit of the Americas）。我们邀请了这个半球的250多位市长，以及省长、部落和原住民官员、公民社会和私营部门的领导人。我参加的其中一场会议重点讨论了当地打击芬太尼泛滥的工作。丹佛市的犯罪研究实验室分享了他们如何跟踪新出现的合成麻醉品及其过量使用。来自加拿大、厄瓜多尔和墨西哥的各位市长介绍了他们应对合成麻醉品使用飙升的策略。这正是我们要通过这个全球联盟所促进的合作形式，同时倡导其他自愿性的最佳实践，如加强政府与私营部门之间的信息共享，改善产品标签和“了解您的客户”协议，以防止前体药品原料被非法转用。
 
今天，除了这次部长级会议外，我们还将召开三个专家小组讨论会。这些小组讨论将有助于确定各工作组的目标，每个工作组会对应联盟的三个重点工作领域；这些工作组将在接下来的几个月内推动我们的合作努力。
 
然后在9月，我们计划在联合国大会高级别周（United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week）期间举办一次这个联盟的现场会议，届时各工作组将报告他们的进展，并帮助我们规划前进的道路。
 
每迈出一步，我们的重点都将是制定切实可行的政策，减少合成麻醉品带来的公共卫生和公共安全威胁，改善我们人民的生活（听不清）。仅与政府和国际组织合作是不够的。我们需要与私营部门合作，包括化学品制造商、货运公司和社交媒体平台，因为这种非法贸易是借助全球合法商业支柱进行的。
 
大多数合成麻醉品是利用合法用于制造药品、化妆品和家用产品的化学品生产的。贩运分子在社交媒体上为合成麻醉品做广告，他们使用在线应用程序与潜在的买方沟通并收款。
 
我们还需要与医院和诊所、急诊科、心理健康专业人士和其他公共卫生利益相关者合作，他们每天都在拯救生命，同时提供治疗和康复支持。而且我们需要公民社会参与进来，包括位于这项努力的第一线的社区组织。
 
几分钟前我提到了我与来自美洲的城市官员的会晤，他们正在制定这些创新的对策来应对合成麻醉品的威胁。其中一位让我非常难忘的是肖娜·达林（Shawna Darling）。她是一位来自丹佛（Denver）的公共卫生官员。她和她的团队驾驶着一辆鲜紫色的面包车，我有机会看到了它，它是一个在城市里欠发展的街区流动的车轮上的诊所，把服务直接送到易受威胁的社区。他们发放芬太尼试纸和纳洛酮。他们把个人与治疗和康复项目连通。他们分享关于危险的新型合成麻醉品的信息。
 
肖娜向我解释说，她能够与这些易受害者当中的许多人建立信任的原因之一是，她曾处于他们的困境。她自己与毒瘾斗争了13年，曾不断进出监狱。她告诉我，我引述：“我已经知道被打倒和绝望的感觉，但我当时得到了我所需要的支持和照料，而现在我能够把这些提供给其他人”。
 
当我们谈到这种毒品泛滥每年夺走数十万人的生命以及被它蹂躏的数百万家庭时，我们容易忽视数字背后的人。因此，让我们记住，虽然这个联盟是为了保护我们公民的安全、他们的健康和他们的繁荣，但它也是为了拯救人们的生命，拯救他们的未来——他们可能是我们的邻居、我们的朋友、我们的亲人；是像肖娜那样能够对社区作出巨大贡献的个人。
 
我想不出我们还有什么比这更重要或更紧迫的任务，我无比感谢你们参加这次会议，加入这个联盟以及我们将一起从事的工作。谢谢大家。
 
欲查看原稿内容:https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-opening-remarks-at-a-virtual-ministerial-meeting-to-launch-the-global-coalition-to-address-synthetic-drugs/
本译文仅供参考，只有英文原稿才可以被视为权威资料来源。

Secretary Antony J. Blinken Opening Remarks at a Virtual Ministerial Meeting to Launch the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drugs

 
REMARKS
ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
WASHINGTON, D.C.
JULY 7, 2023
SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you very much.  Colleagues, on behalf of President Biden, welcome.  Welcome to the launch of the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats.  We are grateful to the senior government officials from more than 80 countries, as well as leaders from over a dozen regional and international organizations for joining us (inaudible).
We feel this acutely in the United States.  Synthetic drugs are the number one killer of Americans aged 18 to 49.  And it’s almost worth pausing on that fact.  The number one killer of Americans aged 18 to 49 – synthetic drugs, notably fentanyl.  Nearly 110,000 Americans died last year of a drug overdose.  Two-thirds of those deaths involved synthetic opioids.  For the individuals, the families, the communities affected, the pain caused by these deaths and by the millions who suffer with substance use is immeasurable.  It’s also inflicting a massive economic toll – nearly $1.5 trillion in the United States in 2020 alone, according to a report by our Congress; our public health system, our criminal justice system all bearing the costs.
That’s why President Biden has made it a top priority for us to tackle two of the critical drivers of this epidemic in the United States: untreated addiction, and drug trafficking.  In 2022 our administration released a National Drug Control Strategy that for the first time the United States embraces harm reduction efforts that meet people where they are and engages them in care and services.  America is far from alone in facing this challenge.  According to the United Nations, more than 34 million people around the world use methamphetamines or other synthetic stimulants annually.  And every region is experiencing an alarming rise in other synthetic drugs.  In Africa, it’s tramadol; in the Middle East, fake Captagon pills; in Asia, Ketamine.
One of the main reasons we wanted to come together today is because we believe the United States is a canary in the coal mine when it comes to fentanyl, an exceptionally addictive and deadly synthetic drug.  Having saturated the United States market, transnational criminal enterprises are turning elsewhere to expand their profits.  If we don’t act together with fierce urgency, more communities around the world will bear the catastrophic costs that are already affecting so many American cities, so many American towns.
The criminal organizations that traffic synthetic drugs are extremely adept at exploiting weak links in our interconnected global system.  When one government aggressively restricts the precursor chemical, traffickers simply buy it elsewhere.  When one country closes off a transit route, traffickers quickly shift to another.  This is the definition of a problem that no country can solve alone.  That’s why we’re creating this global coalition.
We’re focused on three key areas: first, preventing the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs; second, detecting emerging threats and patterns of use; and third, advancing public health interventions and services to prevent and reduce drug use, to save lives, to support recovery for people who use drugs.
Now, of course, we’re not starting from scratch.  For years, governments, regional and international organizations, health workers, and communities have been coming up with innovative solutions on each of these priorities.  Countries in the Western Hemisphere are working with the Organization of American States to develop and implement early warning systems to detect emerging synthetic drug use.
Take-home naloxone kits, pioneered by countries in Europe, have been adopted by countries in Central Asia and other regions.  The International Narcotics Control Board is promoting intelligence sharing on the trafficking of precursors to help governments cooperate on interdictions and on prosecutions.  This coalition – this coalition is intended to build on these and other important efforts, not take their place, including efforts in the United States, which are among those shared lessons learned.
I’ll give just one example.  In April, we hosted the first ever City Summit of the Americas in Denver, Colorado.  We brought together more than 250 mayors from across our hemisphere, along with governors, tribal and indigenous officials, leaders from civil society and the private sector.  One of the sessions that I attended focused on local efforts to combat the fentanyl epidemic.  The city of Denver’s crime lab shared how it tracks the emergence of new synthetic drugs and overdoses.  Mayors from Canada, from Ecuador, and Mexico spoke to their strategies to tackle the rise in synthetic drug use.  This is precisely the kind of collaboration that we’ll foster through this global coalition, while championing other voluntary best practices like improved information sharing between governments and the private sector, better labeling and “Know Your Customer” protocols to help prevent the diversion of precursors into illicit use.
Today, in addition to this ministerial meeting, we’ll convene three expert panels.  The panel discussions will help define the goals of distinct working groups – one for each of the coalition’s major lines of effort – which will carry our collaborative efforts forward over the coming months.
Then in September, we plan to host an in-person meeting of this coalition on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, where the working groups will report on their progress and help us chart a way forward.
At every step, our focus will be on developing practical policies, diminishing the public health and public security threats posed by synthetic drugs, improving the lives of our people (inaudible) It’s not enough to work with governments and international organizations.  We need to partner with the private sector, including chemical manufacturers, shipping companies, social media platforms because this illicit trade is built on the pillars of legitimate global commerce.
Most synthetic drugs are produced from chemicals that are used legally in making pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, household products.  Traffickers advertise synthetic drugs on social media, they use online apps to communicate with prospective buyers and collect payments.
We also need to partner with hospitals and clinics, emergency departments, mental health professionals, and other public health stakeholders who are saving lives every single day while providing treatment and recovery support efforts.  And we need civil society at the table, including the community-based organizations that are on the front lines of this effort.
I mentioned a few minutes ago my meeting with city officials from the Americas who are developing these innovative responses to threats from synthetic drugs.  One of them who really stayed with me was Shawna Darling.  She’s a public health official from Denver.  She and her team drive a bright purple van that I got a chance to see, a clinic on wheels among the city’s underdeveloped neighborhoods, bringing services directly to vulnerable communities.  They distribute fentanyl test strips and naloxone.  They connect individuals with treatment and recovery programs.  They share information about dangerous new synthetic drugs.
Shawna explained to me that one of the reasons she’s been able to build trust with many of these vulnerable people is because she walked in their shoes.  She herself struggled with addiction for 13 years.  She spent time in and out of jail.  And she told me, and I quote, “I’ve learned what it feels like to be defeated and desperate, but I was able to get support and care that I needed, and now I’m able to offer that to others.”
When we talk about the hundreds of thousands of lives this epidemic takes every year, and the millions of families it’s ravaging, it’s easy to lose sight of the human beings behind the numbers.  So let’s remember that while this coalition is about protecting our citizens’ security, their health, their prosperity, it’s also about saving people’s lives, saving their futures – people who could be our neighbors, our friends, our loved ones; individuals who, like Shawna, have so much to contribute to their communities.
I can’t think of a more important or urgent undertaking for us, and I can’t thank you enough for joining this session, joining this coalition, and for the work that we’ll do together.  Thanks, everyone.
Also see the Ministerial Declaration on Accelerating and Strengthening the Global Response to Synthetic Drugs.