"Highly toxic, May be fatal"
There has been significant news coverage of Donald Trump's ridiculous on-again-off-again tariffs against Mexico, Canada, and China. This is apparently to pressure these countries to stop the importation of fentanyl into America.
So, after kicking up so much shit and dust, how is Trump's holy crusade against fentanyl abuse going? Let's ask Grok:
"Based on available data and posts found on X, the price trend of fentanyl in recent months, as of March 7, 2025, suggests a continued decline in street prices, particularly for illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) in the United States. While comprehensive, up-to-the-minute market analyses are limited, several sources provide insight into this trend.Research from 2022, analyzing DEA data from 2013 to 2021, indicated a significant downward trend in the purity-adjusted price of IMF, with an average annual decline of approximately 17% for purchases between 10 and 100 grams. This trend appears to have persisted and possibly accelerated in some regions. Posts on X from early March 2025 reflect current street-level observations, with users reporting prices as low as $20 to $30 per gram in urban areas, compared to historical highs of $200 per gram years ago. Additionally, fentanyl pills are cited at prices ranging from $0.25 to $5 each, depending on location, quantity, and dealer relationships, with bulk wholesale prices in places like Seattle dropping to as low as $0.40 per pill.This price reduction aligns with broader market dynamics: the influx of synthetic opioids, primarily from Mexico and China, has flooded the U.S. market, increasing supply and driving costs down. The shift from plant-based drugs like heroin to synthetic alternatives like fentanyl, which are cheaper and easier to produce, further supports this trend. For instance, production costs are estimated at $1,000 per kilogram, with a potential street value vastly exceeding that, incentivizing large-scale distribution despite the low per-unit price.
So, there you have it -- falling prices through saturation!
Of course, it's early days, but Trump's efforts are having little impact and are unlikely to have much impact, as the market for this drug is now well established.
Even if Trump were to succeed in cutting off cross-border fentanyl, a near impossibility considering the length of border and the vast amount of cross border traffic, it would merely create a temporary scarcity that would incentivize domestic production to reach new heights. As a synthetic drug, it doesn't need to be grown outside the United States and then smuggled across the border.
Of course, it's early days, but Trump's efforts are having little impact and are unlikely to have much impact, as the market for this drug is now well established.
Even if Trump were to succeed in cutting off cross-border fentanyl, a near impossibility considering the length of border and the vast amount of cross border traffic, it would merely create a temporary scarcity that would incentivize domestic production to reach new heights. As a synthetic drug, it doesn't need to be grown outside the United States and then smuggled across the border.
The only effective way to reduce fentanyl abuse is a policy of random testing of possible users and incarceration, another deeply problematic policy.
So why does the Trump administration needlessly engage in a disruptive trade war for this forlorn goal?
Essentially it needs a fake war on fentanyl for the purposes of its "slop politics," a system of hollow, emotion-driven, performative political engagement that resonates with a cult-like base of low-IQ, easily gulled boomer followers.
These people are Trump's bread and butter and are politically vital to him, as they provide him with enough leverage to maintain his grip on the zombie corpse of the Republican Party. They do this by being instantly available at a word from their leader to unseat any GOP politician with a primary challenge.
So why does the Trump administration needlessly engage in a disruptive trade war for this forlorn goal?
Essentially it needs a fake war on fentanyl for the purposes of its "slop politics," a system of hollow, emotion-driven, performative political engagement that resonates with a cult-like base of low-IQ, easily gulled boomer followers.
These people are Trump's bread and butter and are politically vital to him, as they provide him with enough leverage to maintain his grip on the zombie corpse of the Republican Party. They do this by being instantly available at a word from their leader to unseat any GOP politician with a primary challenge.
Through his ability to feed low-IQ, opinionated GOP boomers like this "their" fact-deficient opinions (aided by Kremlin memes and bots), Trump can threaten to primary any Republican Congressman or Senator and so maintain his iron grip on the US political system.
Due to low voter turnout at primaries a relatively small number of fanatical voters can decide these contests. This is essentially a major structural weakness in the American democratic system that Trump has been able to exploit to strengthen his grip on power.
Only his continued stupidity in all other matters and the unlikely reform of the Democrat Party to a common-sense centre party threatens to destroy this incredibly effective political strategy. Trump's crass stupidity is the more likely candidate to derail him.
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Colin Liddell is the Chief Editor of Neokrat and the author of Interviews & Obituaries, a collection of encounters with the dead and the famous. Support his work by buying his book here (USA), here (UK), and here (Australia), or by taking out a paid subscription on his Substack.
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