In fact, Former President Donald Trump even recently cautioned that China will soon implement the death penalty for anyone who produces or sells fentanyl. His comments highlighted the current opioids crisis surrounding this deadly drug. Perhaps the most important aspect of this statement is its purpose— to underscore Trump’s active campaign against fentanyl trafficking. Fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid, has massively worsened the opioid crisis in the US.
Fentanyl, an incredibly potent substance, has played a major role in the increasing overdose deaths that have occurred in the last few years. Trump has advocated for severe measures to counter this crisis, including tariffs on countries he believes are facilitating the drug’s distribution, such as Mexico and Canada. He tied these tariffs to the ongoing fight against fentanyl, claiming that working with other countries is key in combating the crisis.
“I think we’re going to work it out so that China is going to end up going from that to giving the death penalty to the people that create this fentanyl and send it into our country,” said Trump. This comment reflects his conviction that tougher sentences would prevent drug distribution.
Experts, though, have raised doubts about the value of such penalties in stopping the further spread of fentanyl. A counterpoint, deterrence advocates argue that harsh punishments have the ability to deter behavior. Even these consequences do not actually touch the demand that is driving the crisis. China has been keen to emphasize that at least part of the production is a result of demand from the U.S. market.
The U.S. opioid epidemic started, in large part, by pharmaceutical companies heavily marketing prescription painkillers. As the crisis moved from prescription opioids to synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, overdose deaths from these substances skyrocketed. Yet recent data has shown an alarming rise in overdose deaths. By one account, a 12 percent reduction over the year ending June 2024, with annual deaths falling from 113,000 to 97,000.
Given these promising trends, you would think that Trump would ease off on the diplomatic pressure to make other countries ramp up their anti-drug efforts. His administration signed some of the most consequential anti-drug legislation focused on fentanyl to date, with the goal of strengthening efforts at home and abroad.
The level of fentanyl smuggling from Canada into the United States has apparently sunk to near zero. This fact further complicates the narrative around international drug distribution and raises questions about the focus placed on China and other countries as primary sources of the opioid crisis.
