Fentanyl’s role in Trump’s trade war with Canada explained

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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.

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