President Donald Trump‘s executive crusade to punish three countries he deems responsible for the deadly fentanyl epidemic has raised questions on whether tariffs, especially on Canada, will solve the U.S. drug problem.
In the Feb. 1 executive order, Trump identified Canada, China, and Mexico as playing significant roles in the U.S. fentanyl epidemic that has killed a record-high number of people annually. In turn, Trump imposed double-digit tariffs against each nation until the amount of fentanyl being seized at the nation’s border drops to next to nothing.
China has, for years, produced the ingredients used to mix the final fentanyl product, while Mexico has been where drug cartels make the drug and move it over the southern border into the United States. Profits are then laundered back to Mexico through China.
But Canada’s inclusion in the executive order and tariff…
