A while ago I listened to an interview about drugs and drug manufacturing where one of the participants, and I wish I remembered who it was, said we probably should think about what is going on with fentanyl and the various other synthetic opiates through the lens of what happened with the Opium war. It didn't sound like fearmongering to me, but rather someone trying to describe to other people what he saw in his reporting or public health work.

I'll try to look at what I've listened to tomorrow and see if I can find it.