WSJ argues an interesting point:
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says they’ve “enabled illegal drugs to pour into America.” But drugs have flowed into the U.S. for decades, and will continue to do so as long as Americans keep using them. Neither country can stop it.
Drugs are a problem that kills people, inhibits good education, causes homelessness, and disqualifies many from good well-paying jobs. There are a number of ways to approach the problem, one of which is to cut the supply at the border. Mexico and its cartels, are an obvious conduit about which the Mexican government does little. Canada is more ambiguous. In no case can we or anybody ever stop it. All we can do is make availability more difficult and more expensive. I think that will help. But I’m not convinced tariffs are the best way to apply the pressure. I think there are more effective ways through embassys and diplomatic relationships to call attention to the problem and deal with it. One thing I do know is the WSJ, argument is nuts. Canada and Mexico can do more.