A group fighting the fentanyl crisis says Trump's tariffs could make the problem worse

• The Trump administration says tariffs on Mexico and Canada will curb fentanyl flow into the US.
• A harm reduction expert warns that tariffs may increase overdoses by disrupting drug supply.
• Canada plans retaliatory tariffs, targeting goods from Trump's political base.

President Donald Trump introduced tariffs on Mexico and Canada as part of an effort to fight drug trafficking, but a harm reduction advocate says that stopping the regular flow of drugs could make overdoses spike.

Trump announced on February 1 that he planned to place 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. Trump said at the time that the tariffs were intended to crack down on drug and border policy, particularly to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US.

Trump paused the tariffs for 30 days on February 3 after both countries agreed to tougher border control measures, but he still promised "reciprocal tariffs" on goods imported from any country that levies tariffs on the US.

In posts on Truth Social, Trump has maintained that "drugs are pouring into our Country, mostly through Mexico, at levels never seen before."

Laura Guzman, the executive director of the National Harm Reduction Coalition, told Business Insider that Trump's tariffs could make drug overdoses go up if they are successful in slowing the flow of illegal drugs into the country. Harm reduction generally refers to policies and practices that aim to minimize the negative health, social, and legal effects of drug abuse.

"The biggest fear I had when I saw the negotiation to postpone the tariffs, immediately, my reaction was, 'that is not going to be good for the folks that are impacted by both the war on drugs, but also by this tainted drug supply,'" Guzman told BI.

Guzman said that while slowing the rate of fentanyl entering the country is a good idea, there is still a large amount of fentanyl that is produced inside the US that ends up on the streets. She said that disrupting the flow of drugs can create a situation where addicts are mixing drugs that they don't normally use, which can lead to health risks and death. She said mixing drugs can lead to drug contamination where people might take drugs they aren't familiar with or are unaware that they are taking.

"What happens is more dangerous, because then the mixes, the kind of mixes, what it gets mixed with, puts people at risk of not just opiate overdoses, but also increase sedation that results in death," Guzman said.

Guzman said that it is common for harm reduction workers to see spikes in overdose deaths in cities after local police do heavy drug takedowns.

"They do an interdiction, they start arresting, they say how much fentanyl have confiscated, and we very soon start seeing spikes of overdose deaths," Guzman said.

Putting "all the eggs on interdiction"

She was also critical of Mexico, saying that government needs to do more to recognize the ongoing fentanyl crisis impacting both countries. Guzman said that there is "a denial" from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration of "the influx of fentanyl from the border."

Sheinbaum said in a statement on February 3 that Mexico rejected claims by the Trump administration that Mexico colluded with criminal organizations.

"If the United States government and its agencies wanted to address the serious consumption of fentanyl in their country, they can combat the sale of narcotics on the streets of their main cities, which they don't do," Sheinbaum said.

Naloxone, a drug that is used to reverse opioid overdoses, is a controlled substance in Mexico, where it is considered a psychoactive drug. Guzman said the country's refusal to recognize naloxone as a life-saving drug shows that it is "putting all the eggs on interdiction and denies the fact that fentanyl is also taking lives on the other side of the border."

Even as the Trump administration leans into fentanyl trafficking as a leading reason for its new tariffs, they have sometimes struggled to defend it.

On NBC's "Meet the Press" on February 2, Kristin Welker asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem why Canada had been hit with more severe tariffs than China.

"Why is the United States punishing Canada, one of its closest allies, more than China, where fentanyl originates?" Welker said.

"We have sent a message this week that we're not just going to enforce our southern border," Noem said. "We're going to put extra resources at that northern border as well. So Canada needs to come to the table."

US Customs and Border Protection seized more than 21,000 pounds of fentanyl at the Mexican border last year, according to the agency. The agency seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced retaliatory tariffs if Trump's tariffs go into effect. Some tariffed goods target Trump's political base, covering items like Florida oranges and Kentucky bourbon.

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.