Under the threat of foreign drugs including deadly fentanyl, Trump issued orders to raise tariffs of the countries he deems as the culprits. On February 1, Trump issued three orders to raise tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China.
A 25 percent tariff raise was imposed on products from Canada. Energy or energy-related imports from Canada will have a lower tariff of 10 percent instead, however, Trump mentioned that he intends to raise tariffs on those products later. A 25 percent tariff raise was imposed on all products in Mexico. A 10 percent tariff increase was made on products from China mainland, barring imports from Hong Kong and Macau.
This, as an emergency procedure in reaction to the fentanyl-caused deaths in the US, will remain in effect until further notice. Though using tariffs for political disputes has typically been reserved, Trump intends to use this as a tactic to retaliate against any political disputes. Trump indicated that the US might further raise tariffs of the three counties if any sort of retaliation was made. He also threatened to raise tariffs on other countries.
Trump claims that fentanyl is causing hundreds of thousands of Americans to die each year, and the three countries who are targeted by the new tariff act play large roles in bringing fentanyl into the US. Fentanyl is a strong synthetic analgesic and anesthetic opioid that is prescribed to treat pain. However, due to its synthetic properties, it can easily be made in a lab and is 50-100 times more potent than many other prescribed opioids. It is not a new invention, but more and more drug dealers are mixing it into other drugs like cocaine or Valium. That leads to overdose deaths, as certain individuals don't have the biological tolerance for fentanyl. According to Trump, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from consuming too much fentanyl.
However, what role would Canada, Mexico, and China possibly play in the spread of fentanyl? According to US drug policy experts and law enforcement experts, Canada had almost nothing to do with the surge of people dying from fentanyl overdose, while Trump claims that Canada has a “growing footprint” in this affair. “Canada contributes less than one percent of the fentanyl street supply in the United States,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his response to US tariffs on February 2. The White House says most street drugs in the US come from Mexico. However under current Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum, enforcement on actions against drug gangs and cooperation with the US law enforcement have drastically increased. 20 percent less drugs have been found by the US southern border control. Under Biden, China also implemented new regulations last year which boosted cooperation. Around October, US officials and experts are claiming that drugs are much harder to find. In a response to the tariff act, China's foreign ministry said that this will undermine the cooperation that was previously built.
As Concord Academy students, there are a few things we can do. Drugs should not be consumed at any times, especially when harmful fentanyl could be present. Prices of clothes, groceries, and food are likely going to be driven up by the tariff act. To minimize unneeded spendings, one could choose reusable bags instead of purchasing plastic ones, borrow clothes instead of buying them, and thereby support CA in its “going green” legacy.