What Drove Down America’s Fentanyl Deaths?

Among U.S. President Donald Trump’s first actions after returning to office in January 2025 was imposing new tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico, which he accused of sending fentanyl to the United States. The allegation against Canada was completely unfounded. China’s role in the story, however, is more complex. Beginning in 2015, the U.S. opioid overdose epidemic accelerated dramatically with the arrival of fentanyl imported at first directly from China and later manufactured in Mexico using cheap, Chinese-produced chemical precursors.