The fentanyl crisis

[Honda]

Seems to be getting worse every day. Killing thousands of people. Am I only one that sees a correlation between the increase in the supply of fentanyl and the open border problem?

[Mike]

Seems to be getting worse every day. Killing thousands of people. Am I only one that sees a correlation between the increase in the supply of fentanyl and the open border problem?

I don't believe the open border has much to do with the influx of drugs of any kind. The cartels and the importers of drugs before them have always been able to get drugs into our country and they always will. The only way to stop the importation of illicit chemicals is to sell legalized drugs here at a better price than smuggled drugs.

There is a huge market here for drugs of just about any kind. Where there is a market, there will be people who try to profit from that market, legal or not. As prohibition has already proven, and the war against drugs has had the same results, you cannot legislate morality. Hell, I'm not sure morals have anything to do with drug use. Just legalize and quality control drugs and let the folks who want to use them buy a known product rather than rolling the dice on what they get.

[Dave Grubb]

Here is a source that helps to begin to understand this issue---which is far beyond José with a back pack.

Much of this comes from China and now even India is starting to play in this game.

Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) significantly influence drug trafficking in the United States and pose the greatest drug trafficking threat, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) annual National Drug Threat Assessment. Their primary methods of entry are in vehicles at POE. They use everything from cars to trucks. Some does enter through the porous border but it is small in comparison to the large transport options.

For obvious reasons, handing a high value shipment by giving it to José is not a very sustainable business plan.

[Honda]

My understanding is that the border patrol and other entities charged with protecting our border are stretched so thin by the constant bombardments of people trying to enter the country illegally that they can't devote the necessary resources to stop these cartels and drug dealers. Some reports have stated that the amount of fentanyl moving into the us from the south in the last few years has increased 4,000%

[FredK]

It takes two one that wants a product and one that can supply the product. They wouldn't be bring in drugs if there wasn't a need.

I'm with Mike. Get known drugs available here reasonable and lower than the imported stuff and let nature take it's course. Darwin win always win out when brains aren't used.

[Honda]

While the junkies share their part of the responsibility it's still the government's responsibility to protect us from the inflow of drugs as dangerous as fentanyl and many others.