Clark Packard:
I do think there’s some kernel of truth to that.
At the same time, though, I would caution that the Trump administration is basically using every tool available to it in a protectionist manner. So if this were some other administration that didn’t have quite as much of a protectionist bent, I would take the fentanyl argument more seriously.
That said, again, I do think there is some validity to what the Trump administration is arguing. However, I would have preferred to see the administration use extra money to beef up the screening process to maybe interdict more drugs that are entering the United States under the exemption, rather than just completely eliminating the exemption, which will impact all kinds of Americans.
And the overwhelming majority of packages that arrive in the United States under the exemption do not have any sort of drug or illegal substance in them. And so I think ultimately people’s lives are going to be impacted in a way that’s probably pretty negative for them.
But, again, I do think that there was a little bit of validity to what the Trump administration is arguing.
