[Reporter’s Notebook] Marijuana is Allowed, but TikTok is Not?

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] "TikTok is a highly addictive and destructive digital fentanyl (opioid painkiller)"

Mike Gallagher, the designated chairman of the U.S. House China Special Committee, labeled the famous Chinese video app TikTok as a 'drug.' The U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Justice have already banned the use of TikTok on government-owned smartphones and electronic devices, and Congress passed a bill prohibiting TikTok use on federal government-owned devices.

The U.S. reaction to TikTok is even nervous. While the stated reason is to block the distribution of addictive harmful content, it is well known that the real intention is pressure and regulation on China's big tech industry.

However, the U.S. rhetoric comparing TikTok to drugs somehow seems inconsistent. The U.S. is currently a drug haven struggling to address the 'real' drug problem. The fentanyl directly mentioned by Congressman Gallagher is defined by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as "the deadliest drug facing the U.S.," with an addictiveness 50 times that of heroin. Last year, there were 107,622 drug overdose deaths in the U.S., two-thirds of which were confirmed to be due to fentanyl addiction. This number exceeds deaths from traffic accidents, gun incidents, and suicides within the U.S.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is also pushing for federal-level marijuana deregulation. Already, 37 out of 50 states have legalized medical use, and 21 states have legalized recreational consumption. On the 29th of last month, the first recreational marijuana store opened in New York State, drawing large crowds.

China's state-run media Global Times (GT) editorial on the 2nd stated, "The U.S. always shifts the blame externally rather than reflecting on its own problems," referring to America's 'real' drug problem. It added, "Accusations that China supplied fentanyl-like narcotics while failing to solve its own fentanyl abuse problem are baseless," interpreting that "this blame-shifting clearly shows the U.S.'s lack of confidence in the face of China's rise."

The U.S. claim that marijuana is acceptable but TikTok is not appears as an unconvincing show of power by a hegemon. It should not be forgotten that the global hegemony of the U.S. has been supported because it was a great power making relatively rational judgments compared to China.